Tsukikage
by kuro-yumi
Summary: They were bound together by Shouyou-sensei, and they were torn apart by Shouyou-sensei. All that remained of his legacy was a jouishishi leader with a few screws loose, a strawberry milk drinking idiot samurai, and two beasts of destruction. Takasugi x OC.
1. Chapter 1

"Thank you for your hospitality, shogun-sama," a lavender haired girl bowed deeply before she straightened, eyes opening to reveal purple eyes several shades lighter than her hair.

"No, thank _you_ very much," the shogun said warmly. "And how many times do we have to ask you to call us by name? We are friends, are we not?"

"Of course, Shige-kun," the girl smiled.

"Please return any time. You will always be welcome in our household."

"This one thanks you for your kindness," the girl said, rising elegantly before bowing once again.

"Matsudaira oji-san, will you please escort her home?" The shogun asked, turning to the man kneeling at the side.

"Hmrph. If you say so," Matsudaira grumped.

Politely, of course. Even he wouldn't be rude to the shogun, even if he had practically raised the boy. Without another word, he strode out of the throne room. It was an interesting contrast to watch his comfortably shoed feet make a ruckus on the red carpet while the geta on the girl's feet barely whispered across the surface.

Not to mention the girl was a lot easier on the eyes than the grumpy perverted old man.

Matsudaira eyed the teenaged girl suspiciously all the way into the limousine, and all throughout the drive. The car hummed under them, occasionally swerving roughly in the Edo traffic, but the girl sat serenely, perfectly still.

It only increased Matsudaira's dislike towards her.

Just because the shogun trusted her did not mean that he felt the same. No. It was because the _Tendoushuu_ hired her that he did not trust her.

And Sho-chan shouldn't either.

He had introduced the young shogun to plenty of pretty young girls, right? Cabaret clubs, nightclubs, even Yoshiwara courtesans! So why, _why_ did he accept _this_ girl out of everyone?

Was it the unusual lavender hair? Lavender eyes? The young, pretty, innocent face?

But on the bright side, Sho-chan hadn't gotten hurt during her stay there, and she was _leaving_ the palace. Finally.

He just hoped the girl didn't take the shogun's 'come back anytime' as an invitation.

"We've arrived, sir," the chauffeur said as the car inched to a stop.

"Good. Get out, girl," Matsudaira drawled.

"This is…" the girl said hesitantly, looking out the window.

Matsudaira noted with grim satisfaction that the perfectly poised expression faltered on her face. Hah. So the pretty little girl wasn't so perfect after all. Hah, Matsudaira added for good measure.

"The Shinsengumi Headquarters," Matsudaira said. "Now get _out_."

She opened the door herself, refraining from mentioning that a proper gentleman would not treat a lady with such a careless attitude, and stepped daintily out of the car.

Her kimono sleeve barely escaped getting caught in the car door as it slammed shut behind her. The car sped off in a cloud of dust.

The girl blinked at the tail lights. And in an uncharacteristic move more suited for a child than a proper lady, she blew a raspberry at it. She proceeded to take it back, because the car and its driver had done nothing wrong. She blew another raspberry, this one directed only at Matsudaira, the old stingy geezer that he was.

"Yes. I feel like doing that to him too, sometimes," a male voice said. "Except with poison instead of saliva, of course."

The voice had come out of nowhere, almost surprising her. But she wasn't that easily surprised, so she merely turned slowly. In front of the Shinsengumi Headquarter gates stood a boy—more like a teenager—with sandy hair and blood red eyes. She smiled politely and bowed, remaining perfectly balanced in the tall geta.

Okita Sougo scanned the girl from head to toe. Her kimono was short. It fell only to mid thigh, and thigh high socks covered the rest of her legs, save the absolute territory.

And if her obi was not tied at her back, he would have deduced that she was a courtesan or a red light district worker.

She could still be one, of course. One could easily hitch up the kimono by several inches, push down the shoulders…

Sougo shook his head, turning his thoughts away from that direction.

He was about to imagine how it would be to tie the girl up with her own kimono and make her cry and scream with pain. It wouldn't be good for a police to show a perfectly normal girl their sadistic face.

"So? What did the geezer drop you here for?" Sougo asked.

"I am… looking for someone." Her voice was soft, betraying her innocence.

Sougo couldn't say he was surprised, but that completely crossed out the chances of her being a prostitute. He had seen several, and none of them had that sort of innocence about them. No, their eyes were usually dead, or at the very least, tainted with a hatred of the world.

He never bought a woman, of course. They probably had diseases, and he wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole. He would send the China girl to go near them instead, if he had to.

And why spend money on a woman when he could get one for free? And then he would have the additional pleasure of _breaking_ them.

Sougo fought back the impatience and his _urge_. She was a submissive for sure, and it made his sadistic side rear its ugly-but-not-really-since-he-liked-his-sadism head.

"And?" Sougo asked.

"He was a samurai. Silver hair, natural perm?" She queried.

Sougo blinked. "Danna?"

"You know him?" A trace of eagerness found its way into her voice.

"Sakata Gintoki, was it?" Sougo asked.

"Yes!" She smiled brilliantly.

"Ah…" Sougo rubbed the back of his head. There went his nap.

He stared at her for a moment, wondering if he could still get out of this and hide somewhere and sleep before shitty Hijikata found him. He could probably shove her off to Yamazaki…

"Oi, Sougo! You're supposed to be on patrol, and I find you here playing around with a girl?!" A man fumed, storming out of the Shinsengumi Headquarters.

Or not. Sougo sighed. "Hijikata-san, there's a lost little girl here looking for danna."

Hijikata stopped in his tracks, confusion replacing the anger on his face. "Yorozuya?"

"Alright. You take care of this. I'm going to sleep," Sougo said, holding a hand up in farewell.

Hijikata blinked once, and his hand snatched out to grab the back of the boy's uniform. He bodily threw the younger male into the streets. " _You_ go patrol!"

The girl stepped aside, just barely avoiding the body flying towards her. She stared as it crashed into the wall.

"Ah, sorry about him," Hijikata said, an image of polite professionalism the moment Okita was out of sight. "You said you were looking for Yorozuya, right? Come on. I'll drive you over."

"Thank you very much," the girl said, bowing slightly.

Hijikata stared blankly at her, cigarette almost falling out of his mouth. What the heck was a girl like _this_ going to the Yorozuya for? They were an improper, rowdy bunch that contaminated everything they touched with their stupidity.

It was no place for a nice, proper, _innocent_ young lady.

"Oi, are you sure you're looking for _them_?" Hijikata asked, eyeing her as he drove.

"Yes. Quite sure. Sakata Gintoki, correct?" The girl said softly, a gentle smile on her lips.

"A-ah," Hijikata stuttered.

Damn, he _stuttered_. He hadn't stuttered since he was three years old and learning to say hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

So he stopped trying to talk and turned into the mess called Kabukicho. It didn't even take five minutes for him to get fed up. The area was simply not made for cars. Pedestrians walked randomly over the roads without a care for the vehicles that could _easily_ run them over.

Not to mention the complete lack of respect for police, Hijikata thought angrily as another person spat carelessly on the police car.

He had the sudden urge to pull a bazooka out of nowhere and scatter everyone.

Oh lord, he was starting to think like Sougo.

"MOVE, DAMN IT!" Hijikata screamed out the window.

A few people sent him dirty looks, but otherwise remained unfazed.

"Excuse me, Hijikata-san, was it? I can walk from here, if you point me in the right direction," the girl said quietly, looking at the man with _pity_.

"No. I took the job, I'll see it through," Hijikata growled, then muttered under his breath, "Even if I have to run over the whole bunch of them."

She supposed she shouldn't have heard the last part, so she politely remained silent. She also remained silent, albeit a little strained silence, when he punched the horn and left his hand there.

The road cleared, but not before choice words and poisonous glares were shot at Hijikata. He quickly rolled up the windows, glancing over at the girl. She hadn't heard the swearing, right?

Her expression was calm, and Hijikata breathed a small sigh of relief. He didn't want to be known as the man who tainted a virtuous girl's mind.

And before the people of unknown and most likely distasteful origins could clog up the roads again, he slammed the pedal to the floor, and the car jerked forward at speeds he could get arrested for, if he was not a policeman himself.

It was with a lot of relief that he stopped in front of the Yorozuya.

The girl stepped out of the car, smiled, and bowed. "Thank you very much, Hijikata-san. You are a good person."

"Ah. Be careful."

And with that, he left the girl to the Yorozuya.

Or better known as what he _knew_ was her doom.


	2. Chapter 2

The girl looked around. 'Gin-chan's Yorozuya' was written clearly on a sign on the second floor. She supposed that was her destination, considering that Hijikata had called Gintoki 'Yorozuya'.

But if she knew Gintoki, she most likely needed to make a stop at Otose's Snack Shop.

"Good afternoon? Is anybody here?"

The girl knocked a few times, and hearing no sign of life, slid the door open, glancing around the empty shop. It was dim and gloomy despite the sunlight that shone in through the open door. Dust floated in the air, highly visible in the sunbeams, and she fought the urge to sneeze.

"Hello?"

"We're not open until night," an old woman rasped, sticking her head out for a brief moment before retreating.

"Money—"

"Come right in," a cat amanto said, appearing suddenly with all smiles, ignoring the old woman.

Behind the amanto, the old woman glared for a moment, before seemingly realizing that it was pointless. At the magic 'm' word, Catherine would definitely refuse to settle down. Unless it was about borrowing money, of course, but no stranger would just walk into a random shop and ask to borrow money.

No, random strangers either stole money or went to banks.

Otose sighed. "Come in."

"Oh, no. I just came to ask if you know a Sakata Gintoki?" The girl asked politely.

"He rents the room upstairs. Gin-chan's Yorozuya," Otose eyed the girl, and muttered under her breath, "If you could even call it renting with the amount of money he doesn't pay."

"Umm…" the girl said, smiling sheepishly on behalf of the silver haired samurai. "That is what I came to you about."

"What, you'll pay for him?" Otose scoffed.

She knew it was impossible. The silver haired idiot would never pay rent. It was just his trademark, and no matter how many times she threatened to throw him into the streets, she knew she wouldn't. He was just a kindhearted, lazy, soft, lazy, stupid, lazy fool. He took jobs without asking for recompense. He was always broke, yet always had the money for a parfait, strawberry milk, and Jump.

"Yes."

"Thought so—wait, _yes_?!" Otose's eyes bulged.

The girl cocked her head with a smile. "Yes."

"Otose-san! It's a dream! We have to wake up!" The cat amanto screamed.

"How much does he owe?" The girl asked.

Otose stared at the girl for a moment, ignoring Catherine freaking out behind her. Was she serious? The girl would go _broke_ if she paid off all Gintoki's debt. She named the sum.

The girl blinked.

Otose repeated the sum.

"Oh," the girl said, blinking again.

Otose sighed. Of course she couldn't afford it. There probably wasn't a single decent store in Kabukicho that Gintoki didn't owe money to. That included all of the restaurants and bars and food stands, of course. As far as she knew, Gintoki didn't touch the seedier places. He had that many brain cells, at least.

And the girl took out a giant bag of money, placing it on the table with a loud clink. Otose stared. Catherine's fingers itched. The girl walked out.

"Oi!" Otose called out. "Who are you? And why are you paying that for that idiot?"

"Sakata Tomoe," the lavender haired girl said, a small smile playing on her lips. "His little sister."

Otose stared at the shut door. Her brain felt quite fried. She tried to remember how much alcohol she had drunk the previous night, then remembered that she didn't drink with her customers. Perhaps she needed more sleep. She could _swear_ a girl who called herself Gintoki's sister came in and paid the idiot's whole debt.

"Otose-san. She's probably lying. That idiot couldn't have a sister like that," Catherine said, fingers crawling towards the bag of money.

Otose smacked the hand without blinking, grabbing the money before the cat burglar's urges took over. Catherine was right. There was no way that filthy idiot who wouldn't know the difference between manners and a manor had a sister so respectable and ladylike.

In the meantime, Tomoe hopped up the stairs, and proceeded to enter, strip, and lie down in Gintoki's futon. And with a small sigh, she let her eyes flutter shut.

Her dreamless sleep didn't last long.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Shinpachi screamed.

"OH MY GOURD!" Kagura shouted.

"Kagura-chan, it's god," Shinpachi told her.

"OH MY GOD!" Kagura shouted.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Shinpachi screamed.

"Aah, mou, shut up! What are you, three year old brats screaming for their mommies after shitting your pants?" Gintoki grouched, rubbing the back of his head.

"G-g-g-gin-san! Th-th-there's a h-h-half naked woman in your futon!" Shinpachi yelled.

"Hah? You're hallucinating."

"We're not hallucinating, aru! There's a girl! Gin-chan's a lolicon pervert, aru!"

Blinking lazily at the two, Gintoki sighed and walked into his bedroom. Once they saw that nobody was in…

"AAAAARRRGHHH!" Gintoki screamed.

"W'as all the noise?" The girl sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Shinpachi turned beet red, eyes travelling down to her chest before he forced them up to her face, only to have them fall back to the cleavage. A spurt of blood, a thud, and he was out like a light.

"Shinpachi, pervert, aru," Kagura said, poking the still body with her toe.

"Y-y-y-y-you!" Gintoki yelled, cowering in the corner of his room, body quivering as he shielded his head.

"Hmm," the girl hummed, and with a thud, fell back to sleep.

"Don't go back to sleep!" Gintoki screeched.

Annoyed and fully awake, the girl sat up. She stared emotionlessly at Gintoki. He flinched. She was having a very nice sleep, thank you. She had been starved enough for sleep that she could even fall asleep on the futon reeking of strawberry milk, fart, and a hint of a young man turning into an ossan.

"Is there a problem?" Tomoe asked.

"What are you doing here?!" Gintoki shouted.

"Is that something you say to someone who paid off all your debts?"

Gintoki froze. Shinpachi woke up. "EEEEEHHH?!"

Shinpachi plastered a very real smile on his face, ushering the girl to the sofa, even handing her one of Gintoki's only clean kimono's. "Have a seat, please. Tea?"

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly.

"What are you doing here?" Gintoki repeated.

"How rude. I came to find you."

"Are you Gin-chan's friend, aru?" Kagura asked.

"I'm Sakata Tomoe."

And she watched them in half surprise, half amusement as Kagura and Shinpachi huddled in a corner, speaking frantically in low tones, sneaking glances at her. She heard snitches of their conversation, including 'pretty', at which she preened, and 'wife', at which her eyes bulged uncharacteristically.

"NO!" Gintoki shouted in horror, apparently having caught snippets of the conversation himself. "Just… _No_. That is as disgusting as rotten bananas on an old geezer's feet!"

"I agree, unfortunately. I would _never_ marry him. It is a repulsive idea," Tomoe nodded.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Gintoki demanded, affronted.

He didn't think he was _that_ bad. A little gross and a little lazy. And he still liked Jump. But he didn't think he was _undesirable_. Just ask the stalker who almost always lived in his roof.

"Is it the perm? Huh? I would have straight hair if I could. I can't help it if my hair's naturally like this!" Gintoki said.

"The hair is the least of your problems, Gintoki," the girl said, raising a delicately arched brow, then turned to smile at the two younger teenagers. "We're siblings."

"GIN-CHAN SAID IT'S BAD TO LIE, ARU!"

"NO WAY YOU'RE RELATED TO HIM!" Glasses added, then turned to the China girl with a frown. "Don't steal my tsukkomi."

"We are related," Gintoki huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the two. "Half related, at least."

"Ah," Shinpachi said with a smile, completely mollified by that explanation. "I can deal with that, right, Kagura-chan?"

"Mm. She got all the good genes, aru," Kagura agreed.

"OI!"

 _Perplexed, Shouyou stared down at the smiling infant. How did one take care of a baby? He had children in his care. They knew how to take care of themselves, mostly. But an infant… He wasn't the type of person who was good for a child._

 _And for her father to ask him to take care of a female infant…_

 _Would changing her diapers and bathing her be considered pedophilia?_

 _Shouyou sighed. Perhaps he could find a nursemaid or midwife to take care of her…_

 _"_ _Gintoki!" Shouyou said loudly, because no, Yoshida Shouyou did not shout._

 _He waited several minutes before the pattering of several feet could be heard._

 _He raised an eyebrow, but his lips were smiling. "I thought I only called for Gintoki?"_

 _The boys shuffled their feet, embarrassed._

 _"_ _Gintoki, meet your little sister," Shouyou said, kneeling to show the small boy the infant. "Your half sister."_

 _Gintoki stared for a long moment. And the only thing that came out of his mouth after that revelation was, "Looks weird."_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to NamikazeMia, Kororo-pudding, ciel-de-crystal, and Monciak for the faves and follows!

* * *

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Sakata Tomoe, Gintoki's younger half sister," Tomoe stood and bowed, movements graceful. "We have the same mother."

"I'm Shimura Shinpachi, and this is Kagura," glasses—no, Shinpachi—scrambled to his feet and smiled politely, performing a nearly perfect bow. "Please call me Shinpachi."

"Nice to meet you," Tomoe smiled.

Shinpachi wondered how a girl could still look decently dressed when they were wearing a man's kimono several sizes too large. The blue and white fabric was practically hanging off her frame, the bottom pooling on the floor, the line for the shoulders drooping near her elbows.

And yet, she did not look like she had just rolled out of bed with Gintoki, and she had covered herself fully.

Shinpachi felt a little grateful for it. Seeing a girl half naked like that was too much excitement for a week.

"That's Sadaharu, aru!" Kagura added, pointing at…

Tomoe raised her eyebrow. What _was_ that oversized ball of fluff? If Gintoki picked up a pet, he should at least have gotten a recognizable one. It _looked_ like a dog. But if she knew dogs, they didn't grow to that size.

She blamed it on the Amanto and their chemicals causing Earth's animals to mutate.

"Nice to meet you, Sadaharu," Tomoe said, reaching a hand out in greeting for it to sniff.

"NO!" Gintoki shouted, leaping for the girl.

"SADAHARU, DON'T!" Shinpachi added, voice laced with panic.

 _CHOMP_. _CRASH!_

For a moment everything was silent, frozen.

Then Gintoki groaned, rubbing his head where it had slid into the wall. He should have known better than to dive for the girl like that. She dodged. And now he had a headache, splinters in his hair and scalp, and a hole in the wall.

 _Plip. Plip_.

Blood dripped onto the unclean floor.

"You need to learn some manners," Tomoe told the dog kindly, a gentle smile on her face.

Sadaharu whined as he lay down on the floor, submitting completely to the strange girl. Tomoe's smile widened and she reached out once again, this time successfully rubbing Sadaharu behind the ears, earning a whimper torn between pleasure and fear.

Crimson stained his muzzle.

Shinpachi stared in disbelief. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. He hadn't seen what happened. Gin-san's sister reached out, Sadaharu tried to bite her… Then what? As far as he could see, the girl was completely uninjured, and Sadaharu's mouth was bleeding.

"Sadaharu!" Kagura cried. "What did you do to Sadaharu, aru?!"

"Nothing at all," Tomoe said smoothly. "The poor thing bit his tongue. He must be hungry."

That was a half lie. Sadaharu _had_ bitten his tongue. But only because the girl had snatched her arm away and slammed Sadaharu's mouth shut with a single movement.

She was used to dealing with unruly males, with her occupation. Just because Sadaharu was of another species did not make him any different. Just… furrier. And a lot cuter, of course. Human males did not give her apologetic puppy eyes when she… _disciplined_ them.

Gently, of course. Kindness always worked better than harshness.

"Oi, Gintoki!" A voice rasped as someone banged on the wooden doorframe.

Tomoe blinked. All of a sudden the Yorozuya trio had vanished, as if by magic. And when the furniture quivered, Tomoe leaned down, peering under the sofa to see her brother and Kagura forcing themselves into the too tight space. Shinpachi's head peeked out from behind Gintoki's desk before it disappeared once again.

"Arf!" Sadaharu said, opening the door.

"OI, don't open the door, idiot!" Gintoki hissed, squeezing himself further into the confined space.

"Gintoki. How nice of you to answer the door," Otose said, looking up at Sadaharu's hairy face.

"Arf!"

"AS IF, IDIOTS!" Otose screamed. "You think I can't tell the difference between a dog and a human? You may look the same, with that hair of yours, but a dog is still a dog!"

Tomoe plastered a smile on her face and tightened the belt around her waist, making sure everything was properly covered before she went to the door.

"Sadaharu, move."

"Arf!"

The dog obediently shifted to the side, still eyeing the girl, wondering if he should bite her for revenge or pretend to be a good doggy. His tongue still hurt, so he decided on the latter. But only until she was off guard.

"Hello, Otose-san," Tomoe said. "Gintoki is hiding under the sofa."

"Ah, thanks…" And then Otose took a good look at the girl. "What the _hell_ are you wearing?!"

"Gintoki's kimono," Tomoe answered in a matter of fact tone. She didn't see anything wrong with it. It was better than answering the door in her underwear.

"You… You _are_ his sister, right?" Otose asked suspiciously.

"Yes. That is why I borrowed his futon and kimono," Tomoe answered.

"Hm," Otose said, calming down, mollified. "Oi, _Gintoki!_ "

"Shut up, granny! She said she paid the rent!" Gintoki shouted, voice muffled.

"Yeah. She did," Otose said.

Silence. Then, quite awkwardly, Gintoki crawled out from under the sofa, struggling a little as his bottom got stuck. He stood and cleared his throat, as if he had not behaved embarrassingly like a three year old hiding from his mother after breaking her favorite vase.

"Hello, Otose-san," Gintoki said.

"Don't 'Otose-san' me, dumbass! Why is your little sister paying all your debts?! Do you have no self respect?!" Otose half shouted, a vein popping out on her forehead.

"Ehhh, I think I accidentally threw it out with last year's Jump. I'll check and get back to you."

"Idiot," Otose growled, smacking the samurai on the head before turning to the girl. "Where did you get that money from?"

"From blood and sweat, I assure you. I am not dishonorable enough to steal," Tomoe said sincerely, arms folded in front of her in a picture of innocence.

"Did you sell your body?" Otose demanded.

Gintoki froze. That's right. Tomoe was supposed to be in _Hokkaido_. With her father, after the man had picked her up years ago when the war against the Amanto was over. For her to have that much money…

"In a way, but not the way you are thinking, Otose-san. I, too, work as a Yorozuya," Tomoe said, and wrote down the kanji. "A job similar to that of Gintoki."

The group glanced down at what the girl had written. '夜事屋'. Night jobs dealer.

"THAT'S NOT THE SAME THING!" Otose shouted.

"I assure you, I am a virgin," Tomoe said, without a trace of embarrassment.

Shinpachi blushed for her.

Otose sighed, aggravated. Now she could see that Gintoki was related to the girl. They both had the knack for exasperating people, even without trying. And even worse, the girl didn't even seem to realize it.

"I have been working for the shogun for the past few months. That is where the money originates from," Tomoe added.

"The shogun?" Otose asked, surprised.

"Eh?! The shogun, aru?!" Kagura shouted, eyes wide.

"The shogun?!" Gintoki shouted, but then blinked, hand on his chin. "Oh wait. We've met him before too. The stupid looking crybaby man with the topknot who has stinky underwear, right?"

Otose and Shinpachi looked like they were going to faint.

Tomoe nodded sagely. "Yes. But please don't insult Shige-kun. He is a very nice man."

"Hm. High and mighty now that you've worked for the shogun, huh?" Gintoki said, glaring at her.

"No, high and mighty because I paid everything you owe."

Gintoki deflated.

"I _am_ your little sister. Of course I will take care of you," Tomoe smiled brightly, but her eyes glinted with a light only Gintoki could read.

It could be just a figment of his imagination. There was no way his sweet, kind sister would have an evil glint. Right?

But Gintoki shuddered, and hoped with all his might that he was just being paranoid.

 _"Don't be rude!" Katsura hit Gintoki upside the head._

 _Cautiously, Takasugi poked a finger into the infant Tomoe's dimpled cheek. Lavender flashed, and a pale hand shot out to grab the finger before it could retreat. Shouyou held in his laughter as a frantic Takasugi yelped, shaking his hand in an attempt to remove the death grip._

 _Tomoe laughed. Her other hand reached up, poking Takasugi's cheek._

 _"Her name is Sakata Tomoe," Shouyou told the boys._

 _"Hm." And Gintoki walked away, uninterested, with Katsura hot on his heels._

 _Shouyou raised an eyebrow at Takasugi. He had expected the boy to follow… But the pained expression on Takasugi's face said everything. The baby apparently had a death grip, and refused to let go of his finger._

 _"Maybe you should hold her?" Shouyou suggested, moving the baby towards the boy._

 _The year-old shrieked in delight._

 _Takasugi manipulated the tiny body awkwardly, and the girl let go so he could hold her properly. Shouyou smiled. The little girl was smart. Smarter than her brother, at least._

 _And crafty._


	4. Chapter 4

Gintoki stared at his little sister, lounging on _his_ couch and reading _his_ Jump. It was last week's volume and he had already read it seven times, but still!

"Oi, Toto," Gintoki said. "When are you leaving?"

The girl looked up. "Please refrain from calling me that despicable nickname. It makes me feel like a pet dog."

Gintoki scowled. It was _annoying_. Since she returned, she was irritatingly _proper_ and _ladylike_. She didn't fight him for food, she didn't stuff herself with sugar, she didn't get angry. All she did was _smile_ and bow and speak so properly it made him sick.

It was as if the time she had spent away from him turned her into a living doll, so pretty and perfect. The yamato nadeshiko she never used to be.

What the hell had happened to his dear sweet sister?

Gintoki could either blame the shogun and his court or her father. And considering that she probably couldn't get anywhere near the shogun's court with the manners she had as a child, he blamed her father.

He had no right! Gintoki fumed, still glaring at the girl. The man had all but disappeared when Tomoe was only a year old, dropping her off at Shouyou sensei's school just because Gintoki was there. _Shouyou sensei_ was the one who raised her, was the one who taught her everything, was the one who had tried to mold her into a lady.

And where their beloved Shouyou sensei failed, her stinking _father_ , who appeared from out of nowhere after _nine freaking years_ , takes her away and suddenly turns her into a lady?

Gintoki refused to accept that.

"Oi. Toto—Tomoe," Gintoki amended when he saw her stare blankly at him. "When the heck did you suddenly turn into a yamato nadeshiko?"

She smiled. "How sweet. You think I can be considered a yamato nadeshiko?"

Gintoki scowled. It _wasn't_ a compliment. He liked Ketsuno Ana, considered her his yamato nadeshiko. He had nothing against that type of woman. But when it was his little sister, who developed into one because of her father, he didn't like it at all. She just wasn't herself anymore.

"Well, after the war I thought that I should live like a proper woman. Like Shouyou sensei always wanted," her eyes darkened for a moment at the memory. "I have found that I am not very good at it."

Gintoki's brow twitched. Not very good at it? Any better and she would be a fictional character. He felt the sudden urge to introduce her to the 'females' he knew. And yes, he _did_ mean to put the quotation marks around 'female', because he was quite sure that even though they were biologically female, their behavior was so manly and unladylike that he sometimes had doubts.

Tomoe had already met Kagura, but Kagura was still a child. Well, technically a teenager, but she was still young enough to get away with acting like a three year old brat with the strength of a hundred elephants.

"Let's go out. If you're staying in Edo I want to introduce you to my friends," Gintoki said suddenly, the gears in his mind spinning.

Tomoe looked up, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "You have friends?"

" _Oi_! Of course Gin-chan has friends! What do you think I am, a lonely masochistic stalker who has to hide in someone else's house all the time and beg for attention even if it means getting attacked and put into the hospital?"

Tomoe blinked, and smiled. "Of course not, onii-chan. I'm sure you have very nice friends."

"You're patronizing me. You're mocking me, right? You don't believe Gin-chan has friends, right?"

"No, not at all. Shall we go?" Tomoe walked past Gintoki.

He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it with a snap. It was no use. She was too much of a _lady_ now to tsukkomi to any of his jokes.

She even sat _side saddle_ on his scooter, Gintoki thought, feeling depressed. He needed to do something _fast_. He was losing his precious little sister!

Of course, he ignored the part of his mind that said he had never really cared how she behaved in the past, as long as she didn't steal his sweets.

First step, Shimura Tae. Now _that_ was a gorilla woman if he ever saw one. She was even more gorilla than gorillas. A perfect fit for Kondo, even if she refused to admit it.

When the scooter sputtered to a stop outside the Shimura dojo, Gintoki noticed with growing dread that the girl walked with flawless balance in her high geta, barely making a sound. The kimono sleeves that reached the middle of her calves swung gently as she walked, yet she didn't even kick them once.

The situation was more dire than he thought. The only fault he had seen from her was the indecently short length of her kimono, but even _that_ was forgivable when most of her legs were still covered by high socks.

He needed to contaminate her with rude, unseemly behavior at once. At this rate she would stick out like a sore thumb in Kabukicho, the undignified, black sheep funny uncle that Edo couldn't get rid of.

"Patsuan," Gintoki drawled loudly, kicking the door open and walking straight in without an invitation.

"Excuse me," Tomoe called out from _outside the gates_. "Is anybody home?"

"Just come in," Gintoki said.

"It is impolite to simply enter someone's house without permission," she retorted primly.

"Gin-san? What are you doing here? It's our day off," Shinpachi said, voice dripping with irritation. Then he turned and saw the girl outside, and his tone changed. "Ah, Tomoe-san. Welcome to our humble home. Please come in."

"Thank you. Please excuse our intrusion," Tomoe bowed once in respect for the dojo, and walked in.

Gintoki could tell she was looking around. Her eyes shifted even if her head didn't turn, politely observing without appearing as if she was staring and judging. She just _had_ to be thinking about how run down and barren the dojo was. She _had_ to be thinking about the poor Shimura family and their depressing state of life… Right?

But if she had any thoughts regarding the Shimura household, she said nothing.

Tch.

"Ara, we have guests?" Otae said with a smile, hands folded in front of her, looking every bit like the proper lady she wasn't. "You must be Sakata-san. Shin-chan has told me a lot about you."

"Yes. Please call me Tomoe," the lavender haired girl bowed. "You must be Shinpachi-kun's esteemed sister, Otae-san. That is, if you do not mind me calling you that?"

"My, what a polite girl. Unlike _somebody_ I know," Otae's eyes flicked to Gintoki with an evil glint, then softened before returning to the other girl.

Gintoki felt the words spear into him, nearly making him cough out blood. _There_ was the gorilla woman he knew.

"Thank you. But…" Tomoe hesitated, eyes shifting as her smile fell into an inquisitive look. "I must ask about the strange… _décor_.

Otae cocked her head, brows furrowed. Gintoki couldn't help but notice that the expression still didn't look like the monster woman he knew, but rather like a curious gentlewoman. "Strange?"

"Yes. I see you keep a gorilla," Tomoe said.

The Kabukicho trio blinked in unison, then turned to follow her gaze.

"Kondo-san!" Shinpachi exclaimed in surprise.

 _The six year old girl plucked a flower from its stem, smiling slightly. The dojo and the schoolroom needed more color. But more importantly, it needed something that smelled_ good _. A place where a plethora of boys lived and sweat wasn't going to smell good, no matter how hard Shouyou sensei tried to keep everything clean and hygienic._

 _Faint thuds sounded from behind her, and the smile faded into irritation._ Them _again. Didn't they get sick of this?_

 _A scowl sitting on her face, Sakata Tomoe dropped the flower and turned to face the older village boys, each with cocky sneers on their faces and chins in the air as they looked down at her._

 _It wasn't like she wasn't already shorter than them._

 _"_ _Oh look. The dinky girl. Where are your weak, lame friends?" The boy she had come to know as the ringleader smirked._

 _Her tiny fists clenched at her sides. "You can't call them weak when you can't even hold a sword properly!"_

 _"_ _Hah? The age of samurai is over. The Amanto are here to stay, and it's stupid to continue fighting. That's what my father says," the ringleader scoffed. "And that Yoshida fool is just an idiot for training a bunch of weak cannon fodder!"_

 _"_ _Oh yeah?! You and your father are just cowards!" Tomoe shouted. "And Gintoki and Zura and Shin-chan are_ not _weak!"_

 _"_ _Shin-chan? Ah, Takasugi-_ bocchama _."_

 _The boys snickered._

 _"_ _Takasugi-_ bocchama _loses all the time, doesn't he?" Another older and bigger boy jeered, mocking Takasugi with the honorific. "And your stupid dinky school sucks ass!"_

 _"_ _You…" Eyes shadowed by her bangs, Tomoe quivered. "Take that BACK!"_

 _And she leapt. She didn't have any weapons, and the boys surrounding here were all bigger and stronger than she was. But she was fueled by fury._

 _The six year old girl bit and scratched, smiling in grim satisfaction as the boys yelped._

 _And pain burst through the back of her head._

 _She stumbled, shocked, before glancing at her attacker. He was smirking, a thick branch in his hand._

 _She scowled, glaring at him, falling into a crouch as the boys once again surrounded her. She mentally prepared herself for a lot of pain and bruises._

 _But then a metaphorical light shone on her._

 _"_ _OI!"_

 _"_ _What the_ hell _do you think you're doing to someone's little sister, huh? Lolicon!"_

 _"_ _Lolicon jya nai. Katsura da."_

 _"_ _NOT YOU!"_

 _Three guesses. Three preteen boys appeared, each holding a bokutou. Tomoe grinned menacingly. And her attackers' faces twisted with uncertainty and fear._


	5. Chapter 5

Xliaf27: Thank you! I hoped it would be Gintama-ish, since I'm not really good at writing humor.

A/N: I will not be following the Gintama timeline. I'll be mixing and matching the parts where Takasugi appears in the anime with my storyline, without actually following the correct timing or the correct order of the arcs.

 **Timeline** :

Gintoki age 4: Amanto arrive in Edo

Age 0 (Gintoki age 6): war starts, Shouyou finds Gintoki

Age 1 (Gintoki age 7): Gintoki at Shouyou's school with Takasugi and Katsura. Tomoe arrives

Age 6 (Gintoki age 12): bullies, starts learning sword, Tendoushuu takes Shouyou

Age 8 (Gintoki age 14): Last Generation joins war

Age 10 (Gintoki age 16): war ends

Age 14 (Gintoki age 20): anime begins

Age 18 (Gintoki age 24): present

* * *

"Ah. Gori," Gintoki deadpanned.

He really didn't know why Shinpachi was surprised at the Shinsengumi commander's appearance. Kondo was always stalking Otae anyways, and tended to appear out of nowhere at the most random of times.

Kondo grinned. "Otae-san! How wonderful to see you agaiiiiiiIIIII!"

"Get _LOST_ , you freaky gorilla stalker!" Otae screamed, eyes glinting with flames of fury as she landed a punch that could easily knock out a two hundred pound professional boxer.

Kondo screamed in agony as he flew across the yard to crash into the wall, pulverizing the cement with the force of the collision.

Gintoki forced himself not to smirk at the unseemly display of violence. He glanced at the girl, expecting surprise, expecting a reaction that was, well, _Tomoe-like_.

She didn't even blink.

Gintoki could just tear his hear out in frustration. What did it take to make her show _some_ reaction?! Even a facial expression aside from blank politeness and a smile would be a step towards getting the old Tomoe back!

Otae blinked, suddenly realizing what she had just done. She gasped in horror, turning quickly.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" She said quickly, expression full of remorse.

The act would have made the half dead Kondo ascend to heaven in joy at her acceptance of him…

If she wasn't speaking to Tomoe.

"Not at all. I suppose that man is the stalker Shinpachi-kun has told me about?" Tomoe cocked her head, observing the unconscious _bleeding_ man for a moment, before turning back to Otae. "I do not fault you at all. It is a good idea to deter stalkers as soon as possible. I suppose you cannot call the police on him, as he is one himself."

"Yes. You see my troubles," Otae said mournfully, placing a hand delicately on her cheek, before she smiled brightly. "Oh, I am so happy to have another girl to talk to. Kagura-chan was the only one before you came."

Tomoe smiled. "Yes. I do agree that female companionship is necessary. But only when one gets along with the companion, of course. I have met quite… vindictive women in travels."

"Women are so cruel to each other," Otae sighed in agreement.

Gintoki's eyes bulged, and he bit back the urge to comment, because he knew for sure it would end up with him lying in the hospital bed, multiple bones broken. Like she had room to talk! He had _witnessed_ Otae fighting tooth and nail with another woman simply for buying the last Bargain Dash ice cream in the store! Now _that_ Otae was even more frightening than the one who had attacked Kondo. She fought dirty, pulling hair and scratching at eyes. And he didn't even want to think about what Otae was like when competing with the other hostesses at the cabaret club. Gintoki shuddered. He had learned two lessons. Never touch her ice cream, and never go to the places she worked.

He had a feeling he should have learned several more lessons about dealing with women, specifically Otae, but he didn't really feel like he absorbed the knowledge.

Hmm… He should probably pay more attention. He really didn't want to die by her hands. If he did, there would probably be a really short newspaper article that said, 'Idiot samurai with perm bludgeoned to death by gorilla-like woman when he should have known better to do something stupid.'

Not a good way to be remembered.

And if Otae was called a 'gorilla-like' woman in a newspaper, she would probably go to hell, drag him back to life, just to kill him again. Only this time much more slowly and painfully.

"Ahahahaha! Gin-chan just remembered something he has to do!" Gintoki forced out an extremely fake laugh. "See you again!"

And grabbing his sister's wrist, he dragged her out of the Shimura compound. His boots thudded against the dirt as he rushed out, not even waiting for the others to say goodbye.

He had a feeling that if Tomoe stayed around Otae too much, she would become a _polite_ sadist with a penchant for doing very violent things. She wouldn't become any less ladylike. Just more _Otae-like_.

It was time to move to the second step, Yagyuu Kyuubei. In other words, the manliest, least feminine girl he knew.

He regretted it the moment his sister and the Yagyuu heir greeted each other formally, bowing perfect ninety degree angle bows, before settling down and performing a tea ceremony.

In the background Kyuubei's father rejoiced, dancing some strange dance with Toujou, crying tears of joy about his darling daughter _making female friends_. The two girls ignored the men as they smiled pleasantly and sipped the bitter, frothy tea.

Normally Gintoki would have commented, wondered if the dance would bring rain, or acted like his normal sadistic self and tried to poke them with the pointy end of his sword.

But the Gintoki right then was discovering his masochistic side.

Gintoki sighed, knocking his head against the wall over and over. He remembered that Kyuubei behaved like a man because she was raised like one. He had hoped that would rub off on his sister. But in his haste, he had forgotten that she was raised like a nobleman, a samurai. Meaning her manners were impeccable, and just as rigid as Tomoe's had become.

"Gintoki, please refrain from killing any more of your brain cells. You do not have enough as it is," Tomoe said without looking at him.

Poisonous! Politely poisonous! What was she, an Australian Box Jellyfish?! Gintoki slammed his head against the wall one last time, feeling the sticky warmth of blood dripping down his forehead. Beautiful, graceful, elegant, and oh so deadly.

He thought he should feel some semblance of joy that she still had a sharp tongue, but did she have to be so damned _refined_ while insulting him?!

"Well, we must go. You must be a very busy samurai, Yagyuu-san. We should not intrude any longer," Tomoe rose to her feet, then commanded, "Gintoki, come."

"Toujou, see them out," Kyuubei ordered.

The dancing man immediately stopped—had he been dancing for the two hours since they arrived?!—and bowed respectfully, before leading the Sakata siblings to the door.

And then the mannered man disappeared, replaced by a panting, blushing man. Simply put, he looked like a complete pervert.

"Ah, you _must_ visit more often, Tomoe-dono. And perhaps you should bring some kimono and dress up with Kyuubei-sama, or arrange flowers, or go on double dates…" Toujou half moaned, half panted.

"I will see what I can do," Tomoe said in a tone that told Gintoki she would go nowhere near the man again, and that she would definitely _not_ see what she could do.

As they walked down the stairs, Gintoki was frantically wondering how to get her to the next place. Yoshiwara.

"Let us return home, Gintoki. It is impolite to intrude on people without an invitation, and without any forewarning whatsoever," Tomoe sniffed.

"E-eh? B-but Gin-chan still wants you to meet his other friends!" Gintoki smiled, a pathetic attempt.

"Yes, yes. The Shimura family and the Yagyuu family and the Shinsengumi," Tomoe said, fluttering a hand at him absently.

His eyes went blank. "Shinsengumi?"

"Hijikata-san, Kondo-san, and Okita-san?" Tomoe arched an eyebrow at him.

"Ah. _Them_ …" Gintoki muttered. "They're not exactly _friends_ …"

"So you only have female friends."

"No! It's not what it sounds like! I am friends with the Shinsengumi! I am!" Gintoki contradicted himself immediately, laughing awkwardly.

Now that he thought about it, he _did_ have a lot of females around him…

But he really didn't need his little sister's disdain for him to increase. It looked like her distaste was already the height of Mount Fuji and growing.

"A-ah, I know! Why don't I take you to go buy a new kimono? There's a festival coming up in a few days—"

Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "When you do not have any money?"

"I… I can run up a tab…"

"You would not be able to afford a proper female's kimono even if you worked for ten years, Gintoki," Tomoe sighed.

"Erm… We could stop at the pachinko parlor first…?" Gintoki attempted.

Tomoe stopped, staring blankly at him. And then she sighed, shaking her head gently. Gintoki felt like a balloon that she had just popped with a giant needle. He could too afford a kimono. It would just…

Yeah, it would just take ten years, at the rate he wasn't earning money.

 _Shouyou sighed. Them again. It seemed that lately, Tomoe always returned with her clothes torn and dirty, hair mussed, and with bruises and scratches littering her pale skin. And no doubt Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi encouraged her unruly behavior. Even if they defended her when they got into fights with the village boys, they also gave her a wooden sword to help them beat the boys black and blue._

 _What a waste of a pretty girl…_

 _"Tomoe, girls should not be getting into fights," Shouyou said softly._

 _She jutted her chin out, staring defiantly back at the man she considered her father. "If you taught me how to use a katana like you teach everyone else, it wouldn't even_ be _a fight. I'd finish them all in five seconds!"_

 _"Tch, as if you can," Takasugi mocked._

 _"I can!" Tomoe protested._

 _And watching them argue, Yoshida Shouyou was very afraid that, yes, she probably could. She wasn't half Shinra for nothing. Tomoe had the blood of a Shinra. The blood of a warrior tribe. An assassin tribe._

 _He wanted to do good. He wanted to raise children who knew how to defend themselves and live with honor. He wanted to raise Tomoe into a proper woman, one who could charm anyone and behave like a noblewoman in the shogun's court._

 _He did not want to raise a little girl to obey her blood's instincts and become a fearsome assassin._

 _And he knew the moment he put a weapon into her hand, that was exactly what would happen._


	6. Chapter 6

m974franc: Erm... I don't understand French? So I plugged your review into Google Translate. :) Merci beaucoup (my poor grandmother... She's been trying to teach me French for years and 'thank you' is the only thing I can remember).

Xliaf27: Tsk tsk. Impatient. Hehe. But I did say there's a festival last chapter, and of course, it's _the_ festival where Shinsuke appears. He'll be popping in and out of the story for a short time until he's permanently in.

* * *

 _BOOM!_

Tomoe's head shot up, the most sudden reaction she had shown recently. If Gintoki had seen, he would have smirked, pleased. But he wasn't there, and she could see smoke wafting up from the stage. From where the shogun was.

She pushed her way through the crowd, murmuring apologies as she went against the flow, a frown marring her features as she headed to where she knew somebody was attempting an attack on the shogun.

"Tomoe."

The girl halted mid step when she heard the familiar voice. Relief flowed through her. Gracefully she turned, smiled, and bowed, ignoring the looks the armored men sent her.

"Shige-kun, Soyo-hime," she said lightly. "How nice to see you again. This one is glad you are safe."

The shogun and his sister had descended their palanquin the moment the man had caught sight of the girl who had graced his palace with her presence for several months. He had not expected to see her so soon after she left, but he couldn't say he was unhappy about the coincidence.

When she first arrived, sent by the Tendoushuu, he had immediately distrusted her. But his opinion changed over time when she neither tried to turn him into their puppet, nor attempted to harm him in any way. She became one of the few friends he had, especially around his own age, and the only one who completely disregarded his rank.

Well, perhaps not completely, as she maintained a rigid formality, especially when in the presence of others. But he had noticed that she was just as prim and proper with others, and deduced that it was simply her natural breeding and behavior. She had never changed her words and conduct just to please him, and that was good enough for the young shogun.

"Tomoe-chan!" The princess grinned.

"Hime-sama!" A palace guard half shouted.

He reached out for the princess as she ran forth to grab the older girl's hand, her actions not at all befitting a princess. His hand retracted before it touched her, the man remembering that it was improper to touch royalty. Therefore, when he determined that Tomoe was no threat to the shogun and princess, he merely shot the lavender haired girl a dirty look.

She ignored him, of course. All the palace guards and shinsengumi grunts wore hard expressions, deterring anyone from trying to get near the shogun. She supposed the man was new. His was a face she had never seen before, and she recognized all the others. They had already been at the palace when she arrived, and they understood her friendship with their leader.

Tomoe sent the palace guards a smile and a small bow of acknowledgement. They returned the smile and a nod. The new guard's expression became perplexed as he stared between the girl and his comrades, and he settled for standing back and watching the girl, making sure she didn't try anything funny.

"Ne, ne, Tomoe-chan, you're here for the festival too, right?" Soyo asked excitedly.

Tomoe laughed lightly. "Yes. But it seems the festivities are over."

"Got that right," one of the lower level shinsengumi members scowled. Like the new guard, he didn't like the girl's proximity to the royalty. And he didn't like the attack on the shogun either.

"This one is sorry you could not fully enjoy the festival," Tomoe said.

"It is unfortunate," Shige Shige agreed. "But we are fortunate nobody was hurt."

"Still, you should leave quickly. It would be best to return to the safety of the palace," Tomoe said, gently pushing the princess into her brother's grasp.

"Yes. It was nice seeing you again."

"Thank you very much," Tomoe bowed, remaining in the position until the palanquin disappeared.

Then she straightened and walked into the colorfully dressed crowds, her short maroon and black kimono swaying with each step.

"Takasugi. It's over. You won't get the shogun, and everyone will be out looking for the terrorists. Leave," Gintoki growled.

The man only chuckled, and Gintoki felt the vibrations against his back.

"And here I thought you lost your fangs," he said, and leaned closer to murmur in the silver haired samurai's ear, "Gintoki. How is Tomoe?"

Gintoki's breath caught. His eyes widened, expression a mixture of fury and shock. "Don't you _dare_. She's living normally. Happily. Don't you dare drag her back into the darkness."

"How cruel," Takasugi smirked, not sounding hurt at all. "You think I would harm someone I care about?"

Gintoki scoffed, eyes flicking back in an attempt to glare at the man behind him, the edge of Takasugi's katana pressing into his back. His hand stung where he gripped the metal, the blade biting into his bare hand, but at the moment he didn't care. Takasugi was insane. And Gintoki would not let the man anywhere near his precious little sister.

"As if you ever cared about her."

Takasugi did not say anything. His smirk only widened, the shock of Gintoki exposing his fangs wearing off.

"Perhaps. But if she has lost her fangs like you and Zura, I will kill her regardless of the past," Takasugi drawled.

Gintoki's eyes widened, and he spun on his heel, hand shooting to the hilt of his bokutou. But Takasugi was gone, leaving only a trace of tabacco smoke and the scent of camellias in the air. His body relaxed, but Gintoki's frown remained on his face, uneasiness squeezing his heart. The cheerful air and vibrant colors of the festival could no longer lift his spirits, not now that he knew Takasugi had something planned for Tomoe.

Gintoki watched as the crowd thickened again, once again in a festive mood now that the threat was obviously dealt with.

For the first time since Tomoe returned, he wished she had just stayed in Hokkaido, where Takasugi would not get to her.

And he hoped that the man would not find her while she partook in the revelry.

Takasugi moved languidly through the crowds, the smoke from his pipe drifting gently into the air. It was a pleasant surprise to see Gintoki like that again. It was almost like Shiroyasha had once again reared his head. Almost.

And then lavender.

Takasugi spun on his heel, his pensive mood gone, his single olive eye wide as it searched through the bustle. Then he shook his head at his foolishness. It was a festival. Kimonos of all colors moved in a wave around him. She wasn't the only person who displayed the shade of light purple Takasugi had come to associate with her.

Nevertheless he couldn't stop himself from turning once again when lavender flashed by the corner of his eye.

He scowled, the expression a large contrast with the happy smiles all around him. He was behaving like a lovesick teenager.

But the purple flashed by for the third time, and this time he focused on it. Lavender hair. His eye widened.

He shouldn't. It probably wasn't her. And even if it was, she probably changed, just like Gintoki, like Zura.

Like him.

Yet he felt his legs move, felt his body force its way through the crowds and shove aside everybody in his way, ignoring the dirty looks and irritated shouts.

And when he got close enough to identify the owner of the unique shade of hair, his legs froze.

It was her.

But she had changed.

Takasugi felt disappointment sink in his belly. She was nothing like before. She had grown into the proper, genteel lady Shouyou sensei always wanted her to be.

She had lost her fangs.

But contrary to what he told Gintoki, he didn't kill her. He didn't even approach her. He merely turned on his heel and walked away, blending into the crowds.

And he failed to notice the lavender eyes following his back until it disappeared.

 _"Onii-chan! Stop being so rough with Shin-chan!" Tomoe scolded, a deep scowl on her face._

 _"What?" Gintoki whined. "He was the one who challenged me. Again."_

 _"His injuries haven't healed from yesterday! You could have been more gentle!" The girl retorted._

 _"It's disgraceful for a samurai to go easy on his opponent," Takasugi said, as if reciting something he memorized._

 _It probably was. It was one of the lessons Tomoe recognized that Shouyou had taught them._

 _"You take his side all the time," Gintoki complained, dropping the shinai as his finger dug into his nostrils._

 _"Stop picking your nose," Tomoe said with disgust, before turning to Takasugi. "And you! Take better care of your body! Jeez. Do you have to fight him every day?"_

 _"Yes," Takasugi said automatically. "I have to get stronger."_

 _"Yeah. He's weak," Gintoki said._

 _It wasn't mocking in any way. Just a statement of fact from someone stronger. But when Tomoe saw Takasugi's fists clench and his eyes burn in determination, she threw up her hands with a shout of exasperation._

 _And then she surprised everyone by yanking Takasugi's shinai out of his hands and turning to face her older brother._

 _"If you think you're so strong then fight me! I'll beat you black and blue! You'll see!" Tomoe shouted._

 _"O-oi," Gintoki stammered, wide eyed._

 _"Tomoe? Put that sword down," Shouyou coaxed, a placating smile on his face._

 _"No. I'm fighting," Tomoe said stubbornly, jutting her chin out._

 _"You're a girl. Girls shouldn't have to fight," Shouyou told her._

 _"I don't have to. But I want to," she retorted, waving the shinai. Her eyes never left Gintoki. "Come on! Fight me! Or are you scared?"_

 _And with that taunt, Gintoki's eyes burned, and he lifted his shinai. Ready._


	7. Chapter 7

Takasugi took a swig from the gourd of alcohol, the man sitting on a sturdy tree branch as he watched the festival regain full swing. The shogun was gone, having retreated back into his castle without a scratch, and Gengai on the run without having accomplished a single thing in terms of avenging his beheaded son. He had been pleasantly surprised with the hint of 'fangs' Gintoki had revealed, and unpleasantly surprised by the way his Tomoe had changed.

Except she wasn't his anymore, was she? The little girl had always vehemently defended him; the spirited, hotheaded girl was more similar to him than she was to his idiot friends, and that included her brother. She had always favored him. It was obvious to everyone. As a baby, once she got a hold of him she never let go. And when she grew older, she tried to protect him, comforted him, treated his wounds, gave him gifts, treated him better than she did anyone else…

He hated her.

No. He didn't. Hate was too strong a word. Rather, he always found her annoying.

When he was a child he had always wished she would just go away, stop humiliating him in front of everyone. What kind of samurai got babied by a girl six years their junior? But when Shouyou sensei was captured, when they joined the Joui War…

His irritation had been replaced. And contrary to what Gintoki had said, he _did_ care for her back then. They all did. She was the baby of the group, and the only female who actually put up with them, who took care of them. For her to turn out this way…

Peace, huh? If she wanted to live happily, peacefully like Gintoki and Zura, then so be it. He would destroy her along with everything else. Takasugi sighed, draining the last of the sake in one gulp. He should leave. For now, at least, there was nothing left in Edo for him to do.

Takasugi took one last look at the colors, at the nauseating illusion of peace earned with the blood of thousands of samurai and the death of Shouyou sensei. The idiots didn't think a single thing of those who gave their lives of the war, did they. They just enjoyed the perks of having Amanto on Earth.

Disgusting.

He dropped from the tree, landing softly on the grass, and turned his back on the lights.

"Shin-chan?" A soft voice said.

Takasugi froze for only half a second before he spun, drawing his katana halfway out of the scabbard before he stopped, staring wide eyed at the girl. Then he released the hilt, letting the sword slide back into the sheath on its own. He scowled.

She smiled gently, taking a single step closer. And when he took a step back, she stopped trying to close the distance between them, opting to move to the tree next to him, facing the festival. Warily, he leaned back against the tree he had been sitting on, and watched her.

He hadn't noticed her presence. He hadn't even heard her approach.

The lights danced across her face, illuminating it, dying her hair and skin with the colors of the festival. She had grown up. When he last saw her she still hadn't developed any curves, and still carried remnants of baby fat. But her delicate features hadn't changed. And the softness he now saw wasn't physical, but rather lay in the air she carried about her.

"It has been a long time," Tomoe said.

"Hn."

"How have you been?"

"Fine."

"I heard you became one of the most radical jouishishi leaders," she said, unperturbed by his curt one word answers. "One of the most violent too."

Takasugi sneered. "So what about it? It's no less than what they deserve."

"Perhaps."

The sneer vanished as Takasugi stared blankly at her. The answer wasn't one he expected.

"You should not be here. The bakufu desires your head more than that of anybody else," she said, finally turning to look at him.

"It has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Does it not?" She turned and took a step closer, then another step.

This time he let her.

His breath almost caught as he looked down at her, standing close enough to touch if he just _reached_ out a little. The smell of _shion_ flowers emitted from her, tickling his nose. At the back of his mind, he noted that her scent hadn't changed since so long ago. It was nostalgic. Almost nice, even.

"Whether you like it or not, you are our friend, Shin-chan. You are also a student of Yoshida Shouyou. We are connected by him," she said.

"And we are torn apart by him," Takasugi snarled, taking a step back.

He wasn't retreating. Takasugi Shinsuke did not run away from anything.

"We've _split apart_ , Tomoe," Takasugi continued. "The moment Shouyou sensei died, the thing that bound us together disappeared. We only stayed together until the end of the war for revenge. And now that the war is over, there is nothing left keeping us together. We have different goals, different desires."

She stared at him for a moment, expression politely blank, and then she smiled. But it was icy, Takasugi noticed. She looked just like a noble, a girl raised to survive in court with a gracious yet aloof attitude, and smiles that could freeze lava, a girl that served no purpose except to look pretty and increase the status of their husband. A mindless doll.

"Torn apart?" Tomoe cocked her head. "No. Merely separated. Nothing has changed from before."

Takasugi laughed, mirthless. "Are you high on something? Or are you just blind? _Everything_ has changed. Gintoki has forgotten the past. Zura uses _peaceful_ measures. And you… You've lost your fangs."

Her smile changed, her eyes lit up with amusement. She was _laughing_ at him. Takasugi scowled.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Shin-chan, nothing _has_ changed. Do you not see? Gintoki still lives the way he wants, protecting what he wants to. Zura still behaves like the naïve boy he used to be. You still seek power and strength. And I… I have never _had_ fangs," Tomoe said lightly.

Takasugi scoffed. "That's a lie. Or do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that?"

"No. It is not a lie," Tomoe said softly. "The only things that have changed since the past are…"

Takasugi raised an eyebrow as she trailed off into silence. A faraway look came over her, and he knew that she was no longer there. She was in the past, remembering _everything_. And then she blinked, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. The light colored eyes suddenly felt like they were staring into his soul, reading everything.

"The only things that have changed since the past are that Shouyou sensei is dead," Tomoe continued. "And the things you want to destroy have changed. Increased, at the very least."

Takasugi's single eye widened.

Tomoe turned and started to walk away, but then she paused, turning her head to regard him. And his breath caught once again as the smile that flashed across her face reminded him of her old self.

"Also, I never thought of myself as a dog person. I do believe I resemble a cat?"

And with that, she walked away, leaving Takasugi staring at her disappearing back.

 _Tomoe cried out in pain as the shinai cracked down on her wrist, then her belly. Takasugi knew from experience that the attack would leave a bruise, but considering that the girl wasn't wearing any armor, it would leave a red, stinging welt that won't disappear for days._

 _"_ _Oi, Gintoki. Go easy. She's a girl," Katsura called out._

 _Takasugi glanced over, and blinked in surprise. The boy was kneading onigiri again. He shouldn't have been surprised, he thought. Katsura was always making onigiri, as if the rice balls would solve all the problems in the world._

 _And then his brow twitched as he caught sight of Shouyou sensei stealing another of the misshaped blobs of rice._

 _"_ _Come on. Give up already. It's not like you know how to use a sword," Gintoki complained with a sigh._

 _"_ _No! I'm gonna beat you!" Tomoe growled._

 _Gintoki sighed again. It was almost like Takasugi had stood down for the day just to be replaced by the purple haired girl._

 _And she was even weaker than Takasugi._

 _She let out a battle cry, which would have been more convincing and more frightening if she wasn't a six year old girl with tears of pain stinging her eyes. Gintoki easily dodged the clumsy swing, and shoved her back hard as she stumbled past him._

 _The girl went sprawling. When she sat up, Gintoki expected her to immediately shoot to her feet and rush him again, but then he heard a sniffle. And another._

 _Ah strawberry milk._

 _"_ _Don't cry, dumbass," he said._

 _And then he almost smacked himself. Great job, Gintoki, he thought. Very comforting._

 _"_ _I'm not crying, idiot!" She shouted, but her voice quavered._

 _"_ _Aah, don't cry, don't cry," Shouyou said, almost in a panic. His hands fluttered here and there as he looked around, trying to find something to calm the girl down. And then he saw the half eaten onigiri still sitting in his hand. "Here! Eat some onigiri!"_

 _"_ _No, make some onigiri. It's not for eating," Katsura said._

 _"_ _Hah? What's the point of making them if not to eat them?" Tomoe scoffed, swiping the tears away. "It's a waste of rice."_

 _"_ _What do you mean a waste? It's very good for the soul, and anything good for you isn't a waste!" Katsura retorted, hands on his hips._

 _"_ _Exactly!" Tomoe said, smirking proudly._

 _Shouyou looked at the expression, and he got the bad feeling that she was manipulating the conversation just for this. They all knew what Katsura was like by now, and she had played them._

 _"_ _Which means it wouldn't be a waste of time to teach me how to use a sword. Defending myself is good for me, because it means I won't lose my head or hand or anything else, right?"_

 _Shouyou smiled nervously as he looked at the determined face._

 _Tomoe pushed closer. "_ Right _?"_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you to LimeyFrog, m974franc, Tenshi Amaya, kittyninjaxox14, and maitedawarrior for the follows/favs!

m974franc: It's okay. You can keep reviewing in French if you want, since Google Translate is really handy. Your English isn't really bad. I've seen native speakers write a lot worse. On another note, I'm glad you liked their meeting :)

* * *

"Ah! I know! We should have a girl's night!" Otae smiled brightly, hands clapped together.

Everyone in the room stared blankly at the Shimura, more than one wondering why in the world she would suggest something like that, and more than one wondering why she would say it in front of a group of _males_. Males were not girls in any way, therefore not invited, therefore knowing about it would only make them curious.

And male curiosity regarding females never ended well.

Just look at Kondo. A male gorilla wondered how it would be to create a baby with something further down the evolution line, namely a human woman. The female did give birth, of course, since Kondo was alive. But only after slaughtering the gorilla for daring to violate her sense of aesthetics.

It seemed that Kondo followed his father's footsteps in his desperate chase for Otae's affections.

"We could invite Kyuu-chan and everyone!" Otae continued, ignoring the less than enthusiastic reactions. "Kagura-chan, do you know any girls to invite?"

"Mm. Soyo-chan and Tsukki and Hinowa and Sa-chan and Tama," the Yato said, a piece of sukonbu hanging out of her mouth.

"No!" Gintoki exclaimed in horror, then froze, eyes shifting to his little sister.

"Who are Soyo-chan and Tsukki-san and Hinowa?" Otae asked, confused.

"Soyo-hime is the little sister of Shige… no, shogun-sama," Tomoe answered softly.

"And Tsukki and Hinowa are from Yoshiwara," Kagura added with a cheeky grin, and half lied, "Gin-chan introduced them to us."

A low groan of despair escaped the silver haired samurai. Gintoki shuddered when the attention turned to him, and looked everywhere but at his little sister. He really did not want to make it seem like he was surrounded by female company. Not to his sister. And _Yoshiwara_ females… He just knew she would be staring at him with disgust, judging him. She just had to be. He took a peek at her. He _knew_ she was disgusted and glaring…

She was drinking tea, completely ignoring him.

Gintoki didn't know whether to feel relieved or dreadful. Did she not care? Or was she so grossed out by him that she felt the need to completely ignore him?

"Ehem… Toto? Tomoe-chan? Tomoe-sama?" Gintoki asked nervously.

"Please refrain from calling me such a ridiculous nickname. I will not tell you again, Gintoki," Tomoe's eyes turned to the man, staring straight into his eyes, holding his gaze for moments too long.

Gintoki shuddered again. The lavender eyes felt like ice, freezing cold and just as hard. He fought the urge to dive under the sofa and quiver with fear. She would probably call him a pervert, considering that the females were all sitting on said sofa. When she turned away from him, he felt nothing but relief flood his veins.

"What about the stalker in the ceiling?" Tomoe asked.

Gintoki and Otae stiffened, both of their gazes shooting to said spot.

"Who…?" Gintoki dared to ask.

"Female."

Silence fell for a moment, before the ceiling board shifted to the side, and a purple haired kunoichi with glasses jumped down as if she had been invited, not a hint of shame on her face as she stared Tomoe down. Tomoe stared back blankly.

"And you are…?" Sarutobi Ayame asked, a harsh glare on her face.

"I do believe it is polite to introduce oneself first," Tomoe replied, just as icily.

"Sarutobi Ayame, kunoichi, and Gin-chan's lover," Sa-chan said. "I love natto and Gintoki and when Gintoki acts like he doesn't love me."

The silence grew tense, and Gintoki could practically see the sparks fly between the two girls. He could see Shinpachi shift uncomfortably, before attempting a pacifying smile. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Tomoe beat him to it.

"I see. It is very… nice to meet you, Miss Flying Monkey. I am Sakata Tomoe. And have you considered that perhaps Gintoki does not love you?" Tomoe replied.

Gintoki nearly cheered. Now if Tomoe kept that up, maybe the shinobi would finally get that he _didn't_ like her. And hopefully she would misunderstand and assume Tomoe was his wife, like the two kids did.

"Sa… kata?" Sarutobi said slowly, rolling the name on her tongue, a look of horror dawning on her face. "You… You bitch! You stole Gintoki from me!"

"I met him seventeen years ago. Can you say the same?" Tomoe shot back.

"But my love for him is greater!"

"Hmm."

"What? You say that your love is higher than the skies and deeper than the seas? That you will love him greatly for all of eternity and will even gouge out your eyes so you won't be able to look at any other man? That you will tie up yourself and live in a cage so he can do whatever he wants with you?" Sarutobi gasped. "Well, I can do that too! And I'll do more!"

Gintoki wondered what the hell happened, and how the hell Sarutobi got all of that from a simple 'hmm'. And where the hell did Kagura get the popcorn from as she watched the spectacle, extremely amused.

"And you call yourself Oniwabanshu? You cannot protect shogun-sama like this. How pathetic," Tomoe said.

Sarutobi stiffened, bells ringing in her head. For a moment, she forgot her argument about Gintoki. Shinobi were good at putting aside their emotions when it comes to work matters. She just had a tiny problem with that when Gintoki was involved. Except this time, with this… _female_ , her alarm bells went off nonstop, forcing her to take notice. She never said she was a member of the Oniwabanshu. Nor did she ever say she worked for the bakufu. Sarutobi's expression hardened into the look of a woman ready to kill, professionally blank.

"Who are you," Sarutobi demanded. "And how do you know all that?"

Tomoe calmly sipped her tea.

A kunai pressed against her throat, the shinobi immediately behind the girl. "Answer me."

"Remove the blade," Tomoe said softly. "I will not repeat myself."

"Sa-chan!" Otae gasped.

"O-oi. You shouldn't do that," Gintoki said nervously, half out of his seat, eyes shifting between the shinobi and his sister.

But the kunai edge remained there, even as Tomoe continued drinking tea.

"Sadaharu," Tomoe said, a commanding edge to her voice.

The kunai dropped harmlessly into her lap as the dog engulfed the shinobi's head in his mouth, clamping down obediently. He still wanted to take revenge on the girl, but until he found his chance, he would obey her. Absolute obedience.

Besides, it was fun to bite someone's head without getting scolded for it. It was getting boring with Gintoki, since the samurai stopped reacting a long time ago, even when Sadaharu gnawed until the head started oozing blood.

Sarutobi, on the other hand, tasted better, _and_ she yelped, squirming. "Aah! More, bit me harder! Torture me more!"

Screw Tomoe. Sadaharu immediately dropped Sarutobi, backing away in disgust. He would have to get the taste of the disgusting shinobi out of his mouth later. Maybe Kagura would scrub his tongue… With a wire brush.

"Well?" Sarutobi demanded of Tomoe once again, hands on her hips.

Wordlessly the girl handed the kunai back.

"Ah thanks," Sarutobi said with a small smile, then scowled as she realized what had just transpired. "No, that's not it! How do you know about me?"

"You just told me your name."

"Not that!" Sarutobi yelled, frustrated.

"Hattori senior, Jiraia, Hattori Zenzou, and Sarutobi Ayame. Those are the names of shinobi known to be Oniwabanshu members," Tomoe said simply. "Tokugawa Shige Shige as well, of course. And I know you are… acquaintances of the shogun because you and Hattori-san have visited him several times during my stay at the castle."

Sarutobi furrowed her brows. She had never seen the girl, though. But she supposed she could let it slide…

"Wait. What is your relationship to my precious darling Gintoki?!" Sarutobi demanded, suddenly remembering what started the argument in the first place.

"Erm… She's my… wife!" Gintoki half shouted, sending Tomoe a desperate look.

The girl didn't even glance at him. "No. I have no romantic relationship with Sakata Gintoki. It would be vile."

"Ah. So you're family," Sarutobi was suddenly all smiles. "Ne, how about you tell me all about his childhood? I'm sure we'll be great friends."

The blank look from Tomoe deflated the shinobi.

"Well, you should join our sleepover, Sa-chan," Otae said with a smile, before the smile turned scary when the Shimura looked at the males. "And Gin-san, Shin-chan, please tell Kyuu-chan and the two from Yoshiwara to join the three of us at our dojo on Friday."

Tomoe blinked. Was she just included? She didn't recall ever having agreed to attending the… what did she call it? A 'sleepover'?

"Oh." Otae cracked her knuckles, wide smile still sitting on her face. "And _no boys allowed_."

The terrified expression on the two males' faces said everything.

 _"_ _No. I will not teach you to use a sword."_

 _Yoshida Shouyou clearly remembered saying that. Multiple times, in fact._

 _So why was he here in the dojo, a shinai in Tomoe's small hands, a determined look on her face as she faced off against him? Why in the_ world _had he finally agreed? He was pretty sure he was drunk. The miso soup had tasted funny._

 _He didn't even want to know where and how the girl got sake._

 _"_ _Now, hold the shinai a fists' distance away from your belly button," Shouyou instructed._

 _He would regret this for sure. The boys were enough trouble. Well, most of the boys weren't. But the trio—Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi—practically lived for trouble. If he added Tomoe to the equation…_

 _Shouyou wouldn't be surprised if they somehow joined the war against the Amanto later. He was carefully raising them, teaching them to be honorable samurai. He never said anything for or against the Amanto, and never intended for them to follow his footsteps as a murderer. He just hoped they understood that he never wanted them to fight. Just able to defend themselves._

 _Shouyou shook his head. It was something to worry about later. "Now, to swing at the head is 'men', at the wrist is 'kote', and across the belly is 'dou'."_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm curious. Do you guys like the italics snippets at the bottom? It's fun to write about their past, and I'm going to continue, but I do want to know whether you guys enjoy that as well as the story.

* * *

"I am Sakata Tomoe, Gintoki's younger half sister. Nice to meet you," Tomoe bowed.

"I'm Tsukuyo, a kunoichi in a group called Hyakka. We protect Yoshiwara and the women there," the blonde said, the Yoshiwara accent thick on her tongue. "Hinowa couldn't come."

Tomoe took in the scars on the woman's face. She thought the blonde looked quite beautiful, even with the scars marring her face. But she also understood that scarred women could not survive as prostitutes, as they would be unable to gain as many customers as the other, unscarred, beautiful women around them. Not many men would accept physical flaws.

"I'm Sarutobi Ayame, also a ninja. And I'm Gintoki's lover."

The other women in the room raised a doubtful eyebrow, but remained silent. They could argue later, when they wouldn't be spending a night sleeping in the same room. Not that Otae planned to let them sleep.

"Kagura. Yato. I work with Gin-chan and Patsuan."

"And I'm Shimura Tae, daughter of a dojo owner and Shinpachi's older sister. This is Yagyuu Kyuubei," Otae introduced. Kyuubei nodded her greeting. "And now that we all know each other, let's start the party!"

Wearing ridiculous clothes to attempt to blend in with the shadows, Sakata Gintoki and Shimura Shinpachi crawled along the ground. Gintoki's eyes were narrowed as he focused on the lights in the Shimura dojo and the feminine shadows moving around. Shinpachi sighed as he glanced over at the sorry excuse for a samurai. To sneak into a girls' night of all things…

Shinpachi really didn't want to get beaten half to death by his older sister. But it seemed that he would be spending the next few nights in the hospital, all because his 'boss' dragged him along. He just hoped nobody would see them. They would call the cops for sure.

"Ah, Hijikata-san. It's two thieves. Or stalkers," a monotone voice pointed out.

The two on the ground stiffened.

"I'm a cooockrooaccchh," Gintoki drawled.

Shinpachi's brow twitched. As if the two shinsengumi members would believe that. His eyes shifted. Maybe if he left his glasses behind and ran, they would leave him. After all, all the jokes about his glasses being 99% of him had to count for something. Right? Right?!

"Ah. A cockroach…"

 _BOOM!_

"OI! What was that for?!" Gintoki shouted as he leapt up, avoiding the missile shot out from Sougo's trademark bazooka.

"Cockroaches must be exterminated," Sougo said, aiming again.

Shinpachi crawled to the side, feeling singed. At least he didn't stand out. Gintoki could take all the attention here.

"Wait, Sougo. It's not a cockroach. Just an idiot," Hijikata said, placing a hand on the bazooka, forcefully lowering it.

"Ah. Danna," Sougo said, as if he hadn't noticed from the beginning.

"What the hell do you mean 'Ah. Danna'?! You knew it was me from the beginning, damn it! Do you want to die?" Gintoki shouted.

"Did you hear something?" A female's voice rang out loudly.

Tomoe blinked, and moved next to Otae to look out over the yard. It was empty,, save for the column of smoke rising from outside the walls. She shrugged and walked back in.

From behind the bushes and leaves, four heads peeked out. An owl glared at them, and flew off. Stupid humans.

"Why are you hiding?" Shinpachi deadpanned.

"Er… No, just felt like it," Hijikata stammered.

"What's going on, danna?" Sougo asked.

"Girls' night. And they didn't invite us!" Gintoki hissed, scowling.

"Yeah. It's _girls'_ night for a reason," Hijikata rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but—"

Gintoki's volume rose again, and the others immediately shushed him as a shadow moved inside. The group froze, watching, making sure nobody was coming out. And when the shadow moved away from the door, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go closer. They could be planning a terrorist attack," Sougo said.

"Oi!" Hijikata half shouted as the two sadists began creeping closer.

"Tomoe-san isn't going to do anything like that," Shinpachi said with a sigh.

His sister and the stalker kunoichi, on the other hand… Perhaps even Tsukuyo would do something stupid if she was drunk. But Tomoe and Kyuubei were too much like noblewomen to do anything rash or anything not courteous.

With another sigh, Shinpachi moved closer along with Hijikata, hiding behind a beam while the sadists crept under the wood. Shinpachi hoped the rats and spiders and anything else hiding underneath would attack them.

"Tsukki, truth or dare?" Kagura's voice asked.

Sougo fought the urge to burst out and torture the Yato girl until she screamed for mercy.

"Eh? Dare," the Yoshiwara kunoichi said.

"I dare you to go lick an old man's armpits and compare it to sukonbu!" Kagura said, a grin obvious in her voice.

A disgusted silence fell.

"Erm… Kagura-chan, why don't you try another dare?" Otae suggested.

"Eeeh?" Kagura whined, and thought for a moment. "Fine. I dare you to buy me two tubs of rice!"

Of course. Kagura was hungry. The four boys hid and held their breaths, holding themselves completely still as Tsukuyo stepped out and headed to a restaurant. She returned only moments later, easily carrying two tubs of rice. Kagura's cheer told them everything, and sounds of the girl shoveling food into her bottomless pit of a stomach could be clearly heard only moments later.

"Tomoe-san, truth or dare?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Truth."

"You should pick dare," Tsukuyo said.

"Truth," Tomoe repeated firmly.

They all knew Tsukuyo was waiting for someone to say dare, just so she could do something terrible. Said shinobi sighed, disappointed, and was forced to think for a good question.

She settled for the most common one. "Who do you like romantically?"

"Shin-chan," Tomoe said easily.

Three males immediately glared at Shinpachi. Said boy shook his head furiously, large droplets of nervous sweat dripping down his face. It wasn't him! He had no interest at all in the girl, and she never demonstrated any interest in him!

"Shimura Shinpachi?" Kyuubei asked for clarification, her tone doubtful.

"No, of course not," Tomoe said, and everyone nearly sighed a breath of relief. "Takasugi Shinsuke."

The relief vanished like smoke.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gintoki burst out of the floor, splintering the old wood.

The girls stared up at him, surprised. Their cover was broken. The shinsengumi members and Shinpachi walked in, the latter with a sheepish smile, hoping that while dealing with the others, they would overlook him.

"Please clarify, or we will have you accompany us to the station," Hijikata said coldly, hand on his hilt.

"Takasugi Shinsuke," Tomoe repeated calmly. "You know that very well, Gintoki."

"No, I didn't! What's that pedophile pervert doing with my little sister?!" Gintoki shouted, waving his arms like a demented chicken.

"Nothing at all. And there is nothing wrong with Shin-chan," Tomoe said, eyes narrowing just a hint as she rose to her feet, standing up against the three men.

"Nothing… wrong?" Gintoki sputtered, eyes wide.

And he suddenly realized that his little sister hadn't seen the male in ages. She didn't know that he was a terrorist, that he was wanted by the bakufu, and quite badly. He couldn't tell her, but he had to. If he didn't, then she would continue to like the insane man. But…

How was he supposed to tell her something like that?

 _"_ _I will come back soon, so wait for me, okay?" Shouyou smiled gently at the children._

 _Tears streamed down their faces, twisted into expressions of despair. No. Not Shouyou sensei._ Anyone _but Shouyou sensei! Why, why, whywhywhywhy?! The men began leading their teacher away, with his hands tied behind his back, but he always maintained the smile._

 _As Takasugi's grip slackened, Tomoe slipped out to run after them, a glare on her tear streaked face, her hand starting to draw the katana out of the scabbard. She let out a scream of rage and despair as her small legs carried her forward._

 _"_ _Tomoe!" Gintoki shouted, running towards his little sister and his teacher, a hand outreached._

 _The men barely spared them a glance. The group who were not directly escorting their teacher broke off, one sheathed sword thudding across Tomoe's head, and another tripping Gintoki before a sheathed blade bit into his unprotected throat. A sword tip pointed at the back of the little girl's head, ready to slam through her throat and into the ground if she so much as twitched._

 _But she lay motionless, and the group of boys watched with horror as a trickle of blood ran down her temple, a patch of hair slowly turning red. Gintoki screamed, the sound raspy._

 _"_ _Shut up, boy!" The adult snarled, leg snapping out to kick the silver haired boy to the side._

 _"_ _Don't hurt them!" Shouyou growled, eyes glinting with murderous rage._

 _Everyone froze. The children had never seen their kind and goofy sensei like this. And the men escorting him stiffened, cold sweat rolling down their necks from terror. The bloodlust was strong. The man was strong. If he wanted to, he could slaughter them all, even without a blade in his hands. The men began backing away from the children, cursing themselves for letting their legs shake._

 _"_ _Draw your sword only to protect. Do not forget that lesson, Gintoki, Katsura, Takasugi, everyone," Shouyou said seriously, the smile gone as he looked each of his conscious students in the eyes. "I am very proud of all of you. Remember that."_


	10. Chapter 10

The tense silence in the air could be cut with a blunt spoon. For a moment, Gintoki wished the tension was something sweet, like a parfait. Then he would be able to eat it, and probably get diabetes in the process.

But almost immediately his mind went back to the situation, trying to absorb the information. Tomoe. Takasugi. Tomoe and Takasugi. No. Just… _no_. He would never allow that. Not his dear, precious, lovely, pure, innocent little sister.

"Takasugi Shinsuke is a jouishishi terrori—mrmph!"

Hijikata glared at Gintoki as the lazy samurai smacked a hand over his mouth, yanking him aside as another hand snatched Sougo's collar and dragged the boy with them. The girls plus Shinpachi stared blankly at the trio.

"OI! She doesn't know that! She's a delicate girl. We have to break it to her _gently_!" Gintoki hissed, scowling.

"How does she know him, danna?" Sougo asked.

Gintoki ran a hand through his silver locks, distressed. If he told them, he would be linked with the jouishishi. Sure, he was one of the samurai who fought in the war, but that was a long time ago. He had nothing to do with the jouishishi now, had no intentions of attacking the bakufu.

"We were… childhood friends. Me and Zura and Takasugi and Tomoe went to the same school under the same teacher," Gintoki admitted. "Zura and Takasugi became jouishishi, but Tomoe and I have nothing to do with it. She… She probably has a crush on the one eyed bastard."

"Right. Shiroyasha," Hijikata recalled, remembering that Gintoki had inadvertently shouted it out one day, and they had arrested him. "You're sure she doesn't have any contact with that guy?"

"Yeah. Otherwise she would know he has… Well, _changed_ ," Gintoki said, frowning. "He used to be a weak kid always chasing after me, and now he's some kind of deranged maniac."

Sougo nodded. "That's an accurate description."

" _You_ shut up," Hijikata snapped, and glanced over his shoulder at the lavender haired girl. "So what the hell do we do?"

"We…" Gintoki hesitated. What do they do?

They couldn't exactly tell her. Gintoki knew very well how much his little sister cared for that weird bastard. She always followed him around when they were kids. They even shared a futon in the winter in the Joui Wars…

Gintoki's eyes widened. He whirled on his heel.

"Oi, Toto! You… Did you sleep with Takasugi?" Gintoki demanded.

"Yes."

"Aaaarrrghhh! That bastard! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to pull out his intestines and strangle him with—" Gintoki paused, frowning. "I thought you said you were a virgin?"

"I am. But you asked me if I had slept with him, and not whether I had sex with him. And please refrain from using that despicable name, Kiki," Tomoe replied.

Gintoki winced at the nickname. Couldn't she have used 'Gin' at least? But he got the message loud and clear. No 'Toto'. Okay. So Takasugi hadn't tainted his precious little sister. Gintoki breathed a sigh of relief.

The relief, like the one when Tomoe had said 'Shin-chan' instead of 'Shinsuke', disappeared rather quickly. And this time, the cause took the form of a horrifying female.

"Sakata Gintoki-san," Otae finally cut in, cracking her knuckles with a large smile.

But the deathly aura that hung over her only made the smile terrifying. Gintoki suddenly recalled that it was a girls only sleepover. And all the other females in the group, save for Tomoe and Kyuubei, looked absolutely murderous.

No, scratch that. The icy, disgusted looks in the eyes of the latter two was enough to make the hardest man wince.

"Hijikata-san, Okita-san, Shin-chan," Otae continued, cracking a knuckle with every name.

The cigarette in Hijikata's mouth dropped as his jaw fell open, and Sougo backed away a step, prepared to escape and leave his superior officer to die at the monstrous females' hands.

"Hijikata-san, Okita-san," Tomoe said, drawing the shinsengumi members' attention. "I work at a bar called Kazabana. You can find me there or at the Yorozuya."

"Yeah. Sure," Hijikata said, eyes flicking between the females advancing on him.

They turned tail and ran.

Startled, Shinpachi froze for just a second before he dashed after them, screaming, "Gin-san! You heartless jerk! Don't leave me behind, damn it! I'm sorry, ane-ue! He made me do it! I'll never disobey you agaaiiiiin!"

"AND TAKE THE GORILLA STALKER WITH YOU!" Otae shouted, throwing a screaming Kondo towards them, tears streaming down his face.

Kondo? Gintoki blinked, staring blankly at the shinsengumi commander flying past him like a missile. Kondo hadn't been with them when they went in. Where did _he_ come from?

"Kondo-san! There you are. We were looking for you," Sougo said in a monotone. "You really shouldn't disappear like that. Somebody might mistake you for a gorilla and call the zoo. And the shinsengumi won't have a commander anymore."

"OI! Stop calling Kondo-san a gorilla!" Hijikata snapped, running faster to chase after the commander, hoping to catch the man before he crashed head first into the wall.

Hijikata wrapped his hands around the older man's ankles and dug his heels in, sliding to a stop and pulling Kondo with him. The commander's head smashed against the wooden floorboards, but at least wood was softer than cement.

"Gorilla-san, are you alright?" Hijikata asked, dropping the man's legs.

"You're calling him a gorilla too," Sougo deadpanned.

"Shut up! I'm not!" Hijikata spat.

Kondo groaned, barely conscious. Then his eyes caught sight of something terrifying, and widened, the man leaping to his feet. "Toshi, Sougo, RUN!"

The two shinsengumi members stared blankly at him before glancing over their shoulders. Their eyes widened, and they _ran_. In this world it was stupid to question someone when they told you to run. It always meant something bad.

The four men started sprinting, socks sliding along the floor, and they barely had time to slip on their shoes as they transitioned from clean floorboards to dirt. Otae, Sarutobi, and Tsukuyo chased after them, sliding to a halt the moment the floorboard disappeared.

"Aah, darling! Please come back~" Sa-chan shouted, a blush clearly on her face.

Gintoki shuddered. The natto loving kunoichi wasn't nearly the scariest, but she was by far the most disturbing of the trio. At least Otae and Tsukuyo resorted to good old violence. It hurt for a while, probably for a long time, but at least their minds were safe. Gintoki wanted to scrub his eyes and brain with lye every time he saw the kunoichi. And coming from a perverted samurai who had probably seen—and done—many disturbing things in his lifetime, that said a lot.

They finally halted, panting and nearly coughing, outside the Shimura dojo, hidden from view behind the walls.

"Excuse me."

Unmanly yelps came from all five males as they jumped, terrified. They spun to see Tomoe. Hijikata blinked, and relaxed. Just a little She wasn't dangerous or murderous. Just a little too ladylike and too cold. He wasn't good at dealing with her type. He was just a country boy, after all, and court ladies belonged in court. Away from normal people.

Normal defined loosely, of course.

"Is there a problem?" Tomoe continued, now that the males visibly calmed down. "With Shin-chan."

Off to the side, Gintoki shook his head violently, eyes comically wide. Sougo opened his mouth, but Hijikata slammed a hand over his lips, praying the boy won't lick him. It was disgusting. Thankfully he didn't—probably thinking of 'Hijikata germs' or something like that—but Sougo sent him a disgusted glare, one that promised revenge later.

Preferably when he was off guard, like when he was eating or sleeping or bathing.

"Erm… No?" Hijikata guessed.

"No?" Tomoe repeated, a brow raised.

Oh, kami. He really wasn't good at dealing with her type.

"No. Just the normal thing. You know, carrying swords around, being rude to Amanto… That kind of thing," Hijikata said.

"Oh," she smiled.

The men couldn't help but stare. It was such a foreign expression on her face, yet it sat so naturally. It was a pity, really. She was a pretty girl, but that icy expression deterred everyone. If she smiled more, she would have more friends. And more men chasing after her, of course.

"Thank you," Tomoe bowed, the smile still on her face. "I was… worried when he disappeared so many years ago."

Hijikata blinked and cleared his throat. "Y-yeah. No problem."

 _"_ _Damn it. Damn it!" The six year old swore, punching the floor over and over._

 _"_ _Stop that," Takasugi snapped._

 _A tense silence filled the air as Shouyou sensei's students all stood or sat in the dojo, their heads down, their bodies tense. Tempers frayed at the edges, and even the most cheerful, most calm ones were seething. A few were crying. But the rest merely hated themselves._

 _And more than anything, they all hated the bakufu, the Amanto._

 _Shouyou sensei had done nothing wrong. Nothing at all. And yet those_ stupid _rumors floated around, and those damned Amanto had caught wind of it. Now Shouyou sensei was in their hands, and unless they did something, he would be executed for sure._

 _Sakata Tomoe glared up at the older boys, eyes overly bright with unshed tears. A bandage surrounded her head, wrapping up the wound the enemy had inflicted. None of them met her eyes. She had been the first one, the only one to chase after Shouyou sensei. Despite being the last of them to have ever picked up a sword, she was the only one who drew a blade to defend their beloved teacher._

 _And yet she was one of the ones who hated herself for being so weak, for being unable to do anything. Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms, until they nearly drew blood. She would never forgive them. If they killed Shouyou sensei, the man she and many of the others considered a father, she would_ never _forgive them._


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks to Yusuke Kurosaki and Reyna108 for following/faving!

* * *

"Watch her, he says. I'll show them. I'll show all of them," Yamazaki vowed, glaring through the window, one hand holding the anpan to his mouth while the other hand scrawled all over the piece of paper.

He would have to throw the paper later, of course. A report filled with chicken scratches of 'anpan' and 'kill' did not exactly make a good impression on one's superiors. His eyes focused on the lights of a single store, and more specifically, the people milling around inside. It was a more difficult job than simply watching one person's movements. When watching the store, he had to keep an eye on the girl while taking note of the other employees and the customers that entered the bar.

So far he hadn't noticed anything wrong. It was a normal bar, with normal customers. A few shady people, but that was nothing new in Kabukicho. The customers also stayed inside for a little longer than usual, but that couldn't be considered abnormal. This bar was one of the few that had pretty girls, after all, without actually being a cabaret club. A lot of cute waitresses, Sakata Tomoe included.

Then Yamazaki froze, anpan halfway to his mouth. His eyes focused, narrowing at the customer walking through the doors. There was no mistaking the woman. Anybody in Kabukicho knew her. No, anyone to do with law enforcement and the government knew her.

Kujaku-hime Kada.

Yamazaki's jaw dropped, the half insane light fading from his eyes. What was one of Kabukicho's four devas doing in a bar like that?! He squinted, as if narrowing his eyes could allow him to see through walls and hear conversations on the other side of the street.

Minutes ticked by, ever so slowly, ever so tantalizingly. Yamazaki crouched motionlessly the entire time, contemplating entering Kazabana and checking out the business Kada had with the simple bar.

Or was it not so simple anymore?

But when mere moments later, Kada stormed out, Yamazaki relaxed. Perhaps it was just Kabukicho business, like a bar infringing on the deva's territory or something like that. Or maybe even one of Kada's servants had gone to Kazabana, and refused to re-enter the Amanto woman's services. Kada looked furious, after all.

Yamazaki knew he would report this to his superiors though. If it ended up something important, he would rather not take the fall. After so many years working as a spy and lookout, he knew that even the smallest bit of information that seemed absolutely harmless could end up meaning the difference between life and death.

Hopefully this wasn't one of those cases.

Sakata Tomoe stepped out of Kazabana's doors, taking a deep breath of the night air. She glanced down the street where Kada had vanished, the residents of Kabukicho no doubt immediately moving out of the shinra's path. She was a dangerous woman when crossed, and everyone knew it. Yamazaki followed Sakata Tomoe's gaze for a moment before his eyes shot back to the girl, and he froze for the second time. Pale purple eyes met his, holding his gaze. He quickly ducked behind the wall. It couldn't be that she saw him. She didn't even know him, for goodness sakes! Did she?

If she saw him, he would be in a crap load of trouble from Hijikata-san. Crap the size of the Yorozuya's white dog monster after it ate something bad and got diarrhea. After a tense, heart racing moment, Yamazaki dared to peek out the window again. The girl was still looking up, and Yamazaki relaxed. Ah. So she hadn't been looking at him, just at the night sky. Or what was visible from the ground, past all the pollution. Even people who didn't smoke needed breathers once in a while. Yamazaki knew that as well as anyone, especially when he looked at his superior officers, like Hijikata-san and Okita-taichou. It's just that Okita-taichou seemed to need more breathers than a nicotine addict who smoked a dozen packs of cigarettes a day.

When she turned and walked back in, Yamazaki sighed. Being a lookout was boring. So nobody could blame him when he perked up as she left the bar, heading for home, most likely. He watched her enter the Yorozuya, call out a greeting, and he himself headed back to the Shinsengumi Headquarters.

"You look like death rolled over," Tomoe said flatly.

"Thank you, little sis. You look very nice today too," Gintoki retorted, rubbing the back of his head.

Just because he could barely move from the pain and was covered in bandages like a mummy and was pale as a sheet of paper with black bags under his eyes did not mean he looked like death rolled over. Death probably just… stomped on him a few times and decided that he wasn't worth taking.

It had happened before. He just wondered why death kept bothering to come knock at his door when it already knew it wouldn't take him.

It was probably the strawberry milk, Gintoki decided. Death didn't like strawberry milk and thought that Gintoki would _finally_ stop drinking it, since he was a grown man now, but since he never stopped, death just turned away every time, disappointed.

"Was it the girl? Pinoko?" Tomoe asked, cocking her head.

"Who do I look like, Hazama Kuroo?" Gintoki snapped. "It's Pirako."

Tomoe shrugged. "Are you alright?"

Gintoki sighed, flopping down on the couch, then wincing as he regretted the action. It sent waves of pain tearing through his body, and he found himself wishing, for the billionth time in his life, that he had painkillers. He couldn't even sleep without them right then. That's how much his body ached.

"You should go to sleep," Tomoe said softly, running a hand through his hair in an uncharacteristically gentle motion.

"Does it look like I can sleep?" Gintoki retorted, but his heart wasn't in it. He knew he just sounded exhausted.

Tomoe smiled and sat down, maneuvering his head into her lap without hurting him. He stared suspiciously up at her, even as she stroked her fingers through his hair. He sighed and turned into her, eyes closing, relaxing for a brief moment before shit would undoubtedly hit the fan again. He had hoped she wouldn't come home tonight, because he knew trouble would continue, and he didn't want her anywhere near when that happened. Like he had told Takasugi, he didn't want her dragged back into the darkness, didn't want her holding a weapon again. And if he wouldn't let Takasugi taint her again, he wouldn't let himself do it either.

"It's nearly dawn," Gintoki stated.

"Yes."

"Can you…" Gintoki hesitated.

"Do you want me to leave?" Tomoe asked.

Gintoki's eyes flew open to stare up at her, astounded. When did she learn to read minds? But his eyes quickly returned to their dead fish state. "Help me down to the bar."

"You should not drink with an injury like that," Tomoe scolded lightly, but she helped him to his feet, supporting more than half of his weight as they slowly made their way down the stairs.

Without Gintoki asking, she flipped the sign for Otose's Snack Shop, switching it from 'closed' to an undoubted 'open'. And despite her words, she poured him a cup of sake, standing by to pour him another cup if he needed it. If he was going to fight with injuries like that, it was best to go in half drunk and full of adrenaline, so he could ignore the pain.

The door slammed open.

"Go away. I'm in the mood to drink alone," Gintoki drawled.

Nobody moved. With a single, powerful swing, the idiots who dared to defile the store with their presence flew out the door.

"Gintoki. You're up against the entire Kabukicho. Just give up. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do," Saigou sighed.

"Really?" Gintoki smirked, a light glinting in his eyes. "To me, it's just the opposite. The entire Kabukicho is with _us_."

 _"_ _Let's go to war," Tomoe said, eyes determined._

 _Gintoki snapped. "Are you insane? You're six! We're twelve! What the hell can a bunch of children do?"_

 _"_ _Not now. Not immediately. We're still too weak. We'll get killed before we can do anything. But the war isn't going to end anytime soon. In a year? Two years? We'll be strong enough then. So let's get stronger and join the war," Tomoe said, voice strong._

 _The group hesitated, but nobody shot down her idea this time. The emotions that broiled under the surface were impossible to ignore, to avoid. And they had no doubt that the emotions would not fade over time. No, they would only grow stronger, until the emotions overtook them and they did something stupid._

 _It was better to go with the idea and calmly increase their ability, before calmly entering the war and go according to a well thought out strategy. That would decrease their chances of dying on the battlefield, even though they should not expect to return home alive. The battlefield was not such a kind place, after all._

 _"_ _You're not coming," Gintoki said flatly._

 _"_ _I am," Tomoe retorted, as stubborn as ever._

 _She had been learning how to use a sword from Shouyou sensei, and if she said so herself, she was improving rather quickly. In two years, with determined training, who knew how far she could get? She might even beat Gintoki, like Takasugi did once._

 _"_ _You're a girl. Girls aren't supposed to go to war!" Gintoki half shouted._

 _"_ _Yes I am!" Tomoe shouted back. "Shouyou sensei was as much my teacher, as much my family as he was yours! I'm not going to tell you not to fight because you're too young, so don't say I can't fight because I'm a girl! I didn't ask to be born a girl, you idiot perm!"_

 _"_ _I'm telling you not to fight because you're my little sister!"_

 _"_ _And since when have you ever considered me your little sister?" Tomoe snapped back, scowling._

 _She had a point. Katsura and Takasugi were more like her brothers than Gintoki was, the way he ignored her all the time._

 _"_ _I've always considered you a little sister, you little purple haired brat!"_

 _"_ _Oh yeah?"_

 _"_ _Yeah!"_

 _"_ _Then don't expect me to wait at home for someone to carry your dead body back!" Tomoe shouted, shutting everyone who wanted to argue up. Her eyes were once again overly bright, the tears threatening to fall any moment. But her voice didn't waver. "How do you think it would feel, huh? Idiots!"_


	12. Chapter 12

Chaos. No other word could be used to describe the scene in front of Otose's Snack Shop and Gin-chan's Yorozuya at the moment. Bodies flew here and there, groaning with pain, somewhat broken but very much alive. Tomoe watched, amused. It was strange. During the war it was essential to kill. But in a fight like this, it felt as if both sides were doing everything they could to kill their opponents without actually killing them.

Pirako was the only exception, of course.

"You aren't going to fight?" Saigou asked, staring her straight in the eye.

"Me? Saigou-san, do you really think someone like me could enter a brawl like this?" Tomoe replied, a single brow raised delicately.

"If you did?"

"Why would I wish to?" Tomoe countered.

"That is for the best," Saigou said, nodding sagely. "You should stay out of things like this. It is… dangerous."

"Quite," Tomoe returned the nod, and the two fell silent, watching the brawl.

"Then you should leave," Saigou finally said, and turned away from her.

"I suppose I should," she agreed, and turned.

Tomoe caught Gintoki's eyes as he ran away, ran towards where he needed to be. The brawl wasn't it. The single look they shared said everything, and Gintoki disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his path covered by his friends. Tomoe stopped at the outskirts of the brawl and glanced back into the chaos of flying fists and kicking legs, and smiled. For so many people to care about her brother…

Nothing had changed since the past. Despite the idiocy of the man, he still drew people to him like a light drew moths. He had a certain flame burning within him, just like the rest of the Last Generation did.

And then she turned and walked away, never once looking back.

Except she didn't go where anybody expected her to. Tomoe took small steps into Kada's casino, eyes taking in the hoard of Kada's elite Shinra assassins. The Shinra was one of the most powerful Amanto warrior species. The Yato were terrifying fighters with overwhelming physical capabilities, perfect soldiers filled with bloodlust who lived for the battlefield. The Dakini were a gentle species in normal situations, but fearsome monsters when enraged, more weapon than soldier. The Renho were powerful mercenaries with advanced technology, and the Genbu had strong bodies that almost nothing could pierce.

And the Shinra were a tribe of perfect assassins.

Yet, as her eyes skimmed over the group of Kada's elite assassins, Tomoe found herself doubting the claim. This group may be stronger than normal human assassins, but they were no match for any of the Last Generation, nor could they defeat any notable human samurai.

Perhaps the rest of the tribe was different, but Tomoe couldn't see anything special in this group. They would be nothing but meat when Kada ordered them to do what she had planned.

Gintoki would rip through them like they were nothing, and she had no doubt that Jirochou could do the same.

"I thought you wouldn't come," Kada jeered. "Changed your mind?"

"Of course not. You are only doomed to fail," Tomoe said demurely. "I only came to warn you that you will lose. Gintoki is on his way."

"He is a mere human," Kada scoffed. "And my elite assassins can defeat _anyone_."

"Oh?" Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose you can believe whatever you wish to. However, the truth is that the group you have selected are run of the mill. They do not stand a chance against the samurai you have chosen to make an enemy of. They will lose, and you will fall."

Kada's eyes flashed over her fan, and her face twisted into an ugly look of rage. "How _dare_ you?! Unless you want to die first?"

Tomoe smiled politely, eyes icy. "I suggest you do not try me."

Kada's hands trembled, turning white and bloodless as she gripped the sides of her chair, but she didn't move. She didn't give the order to attack. She only glared, furious, at the girl, the mere half breed, who dared to contradict her.

And she could do nothing about it.

"I merely came to pay my respects to a deva of Kabukicho before her downfall," Tomoe said, and bowed, the depth of her bow a mockery. "Goodbye, Kujaku-hime Kada. I wish you well in your next life."

Tomoe walked out, leaving a feminine scream of rage echoing behind her.

The fight didn't last long, Tomoe supposed. Within single day, not even twelve hours, and everything was over. Jirochou lost, just as she expected, and Kujaku-hime Kada's Shinra assassins were slaughtered. As she had predicted, Kada was not as easily forgiven as Jirochou, and was harshly defeated while the other was allowed to simply leave. Kabukicho would change. With Jirochou and Kada both defeated and gone, two new powers would rise to take their place.

Gintoki was as much a monster now as he had been ten years ago, despite his inaction and laziness. For a moment, Tomoe wondered what Takasugi would have to say about that, and realized he probably disdained Gintoki and Katsura for that.

For remaining so strong, yet doing nothing to avenge their teacher, their comrades.

Tomoe glanced down at Kada with distaste, the former deva bound at her feet, unconscious. The Shinra had a line of drool running down her chin, and although she was unconscious, her eyes were wide open, showing only a hint of color as the orbs rolled upwards, displaying the whites of her eyes. It was quite disgusting, Tomoe thought. A proud deva of Kabukicho was reduced to this, simply because of a lost fight. If she herself had been in the woman's position, she would not have gone insane. She had too much to do.

"Why am I the one who has to drag… _this_ here?" Tomoe asked, nudging the prone form of the woman with her foot.

"Who else?" Takasugi asked easily, taking a puff from his pipe. "It's not like I can ask Gintoki or Zura."

"I have nothing to do with all this," Tomoe said. "You have your Kiheitai to do the dirty work."

"Do I? They would have drawn attention. You, on the other hand…" Takasugi trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence to her imagination.

"I am not your servant, Shin-chan. Nor do I want anything to do with these… politics."

Takasugi sneered. "It's too late for that. You were involved a long time ago. And you think you could simply walk out of everything whenever you please? Don't be stupid."

"I am not 'stupid' as you say it. I am merely speaking the truth. I do not have anything to do with the politics of Kabukicho, nor the politics of space. I simply live the way I wish to," Tomoe said, her voice steady.

Takasugi walked forward, until they were nearly touching. He puffed a cloud of smoke into her face. She didn't even flinch, and his sneer only grew.

"You were beautiful once. When we were at the festival I thought I saw a little of that you. But now… Now you're nothing," Takasugi said. "I should never have contacted you."

"No. You should not have," Tomoe agreed.

"I'm taking _this_ ," like Tomoe, he kicked the still body of Kada, a little harder than she did. "It will be my gift to the Harusame."

"So be it."

The two maintained a tense silence, Takasugi glaring at the girl with his one eye, Tomoe staring back impassively. He was stupid to have assumed anything. She _had_ changed after all. Lost her claws, fangs, every weapon she ever had. The conversation they had at the festival made him doubt that, but he knew for sure now. She was weak. And she was disappointing.

"I'll let you leave this time. But if we ever meet again…"

"Will you kill me?" Tomoe cocked her head. And then a hint of a smirk formed on her lips, her eyes mocking. " _Could_ you kill me?"

Takasugi's eye widened, expression becoming that of a deranged murderer. He grinned, showing too many teeth for it to be considered a smile. "Yes."

 _Eight year old Sakata Tomoe grinned cheekily. The young samurai in front of her glanced at each other uneasily. They weren't all from Shouyou sensei's school. In fact, only one or two of them were. The rest of them were in their twenties or early thirties, and all of them had fought in the war for at least two years before the Last Generation joined._

 _And a year ago, if anybody had told them they would be following an eight year old around, they would have laughed and asked the person how much they had to drink._

 _Yet here they were, all following Sakata Tomoe, all loyal to her. They would give their lives, their honor to protect the child. And they had no doubts that she returned the sentiments._

 _"_ _Entei," she said, eyes bright with mischief. "We're in a war against the Amanto, but that's only the ones who are taking over our planet, right? So if we use the Amanto who don't care either way, then it's perfectly fine, as long as they're on our side!"_

 _They had no idea how she came to that conclusion. It did make sense, though. The Amanto had superior weapons, superior capabilities, superior technology. So for the samurai to win, they had to adapt, no matter how much they wanted to keep their traditions._

 _Seeing the reluctant nods, Tomoe's grin only grew, the girl satisfied. She turned her back to them, once again watching the herd of Amanto horses, which belonged to an Amanto army._

 _The Entei were a species of extraordinary horses. They could fly, had their long range attacks to reach enemies out of range of their deadly hooves and teeth. Like all horses, they were passive unless provoked. But unlike normal horses, they revered strength, and were considered a weapon of war rather than beasts of burden._

 _And they only allowed the strongest on their backs._

 _The only conclusion the group of samurai could reach was that it was an impossible venture. Even if they somehow managed to grab the herd and escape, the horses would never allow them on their backs. Not to mention that the Amanto riders would attack with a fury, vengeance on their minds._

 _The group of samurai followed Sakata Tomoe, the eight year old. They were loyal to her._

 _And they considered her absolutely, completely, irreversibly insane._


	13. Chapter 13

m974franc: Thank you! Happy to please.

* * *

Hijikata sighed as he flipped through Yamazaki's report. For Kujaku-hime Kada to fall the day after she visited the girl and left angry… Was it just a coincidence? Or did it signify something much larger? Why couldn't life just be simple?

After all this, Hijikata was only left more confused as to who Sakata Tomoe was. His first impression of her had been a brainless pretty girl. His second impression was that she had been bred like a court noble lady, with the looks to serve as a doll to whatever husband she married, and a brain and tongue only meant for court politics. Pretty, polite, somewhat brainless, and cunning. Perhaps even lethal, but only amongst nobles. Her physique left no doubt that she was harmless, physically. His third impression was that he was _damned_ uncomfortable around her.

But now? He was prepared to throw all that down the drain to feed the white, mutated crocodiles in the sewer.

All of a sudden she didn't seem so harmless anymore, even though it was technically her brother and Jirochou who defeated Kada. And while Sakata Tomoe had been with the Yorozuya when the brawl began in Kabukicho that morning, she had not been present when the shinsengumi arrived to calm things down, and arrest the troublemakers. The witnesses, however, had stated clearly that she did not participate in the fighting, and left peacefully. Worst of all, Yamazaki had _not_ been following her, and thus did not know what she had been doing.

Hijikata sighed again, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Screw the rules of no smoking inside. He needed his nicotine fix immediately, and perhaps a bottle of sake as well. But he didn't have the time or freedom to go get a drink. His eyes turned back to the table full of reports, all from different places.

Perhaps the stirring in his gut was because Kada had disappeared after all that, and was nowhere to be found. He had deployed troops to search Kabukicho, and even the rest of Edo for the Amanto woman, but to no avail. It was as if she had vanished off the face of the Earth.

Hijikata's logical mind declared that there was no way someone as gentle and innocent as Sakata Tomoe could have anything to do with the dirty politics of Kabukicho. It wasn't even a place he would expect someone like her to go, full of drugs, sex, black markets, and yakuza. In fact, she would probably stay miles away from that filthy part of Edo if her brother did not reside and work there. She _had_ been searching for Gintoki when he first met her after all. And in addition, she had worked for the shogun, was 'friends' with the man. If she was dangerous in any way, she would never have been allowed anywhere near the shogun.

He supposed that he needed to pull her in for questioning if he was to get any answers. But there were no grounds for interrogating her. Not to mention that the idiot silver perm would have a fit if he heard that the shinsengumi had laid their hands on his little sister.

No, such a situation called for more sneaky measures. Something nobody would think was strange, something nobody would suspect.

"Yamazaki! Sougo!" Hijikata barked, snuffing out the cigarette.

If Sougo noticed him smoking where he shouldn't be, the boy would inform Kondo and somehow get him into trouble. Jeez. If Sougo wasn't out for his life, he was trying to make his life miserable.

And speaking of the annoyances, _they still had not responded to his call_. Hijikata's brow twitched.

" _Yamazaki! Sougo! Get in here NOW_!"

"Hijikata-san, I was having the best nap," Sougo drawled with a long suffering sigh.

"I was about to score too. Do you know how hard it is to get someone to play badminton with me?" Yamazaki muttered.

Hijikata's hand twitched with rage. "WHAT DO YOU THINK THE SHINSENGUMI IS, A PLAYGROUND?!"

Yamazaki jolted at the roar, and immediately slid into kneeling position, nervous sweat dripping down his face, looking as alert and ready as he could. Sougo only sighed again and sat down, slowly, just to irritate Hijikata, before looking as bored as possible. Hijikata clenched his hands into tight fists, taking deep breaths to calm the urge to _slice_ them both into tiny pieces.

"Yamazaki, I want you to investigate Kazabana. Not just watch this time. Actually _investigate_ it. I want a full report by tomorrow," Hijikata said, and inwardly cheered for actually managing to keep his voice calm. "And Sougo, I want you to talk to the girl. Sakata Tomoe. Find out everything you could about her."

Sougo perked up, a sadistic grin forming on his face. He knew just what to do.

Hijikata took one look at the expression and sighed again. But he kept silent. Sougo could do whatever he wanted with the girl, as long as she was willing. He could always tell her brother that Sougo merely brought out her masochistic side, and that the shinsengumi were not to blame.

It would be a pity, though. Hijikata found himself thinking that he did not want to see such a proud and genteel girl crawling on the ground with a collar on her neck, ending her sentences with a 'woof'.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the shinsengumi and Sougo, not a single 'woof' came from the girl. And Okita Sougo was growing increasingly agitated by the moment. He had stuck her with a pin, ripped her kimono, dumped practically an entire bottle of hot sauce on her parfait, and insulted her so badly that the hardest rock in the world would blush.

Yet Sakata Tomoe did not even bat an eyelash.

No, when he stuck her she blinked, when he ripped her kimono she had merely folded it together so nothing would be exposed, and the hot sauce… Sougo could still feel his lips and tongue burning where she fed him a spoonful before consuming the entire parfait, hot sauce and all. He had the feeling he would not be tasting anything for the next few days, and she was perfectly fine. She even got a hot taiyaki almost immediately after.

Sougo was starting to wonder if the girl was really a human, or one of those maid robots that were so popular a while ago.

Yet, he found his sadistic side rearing its wonderful head. He wanted to _break_ her. He wanted to find something, anything that would simply shatter her into pieces, nevermore to be glued back together. And then, once she became completely submissive to him and he tired of his new 'pet', he would dump her with her brother and never look her way again.

Which would further break her, of course.

For a moment he wished they had permission to take her in, to interrogate her. Sougo was quite sure he could somehow make the interrogation as painful and long as possible, so he could train her at the same time. By the time he was done she would have become a perfect submissive to any dominant who wanted to control her.

And it would have been _perfect_ if he could slowly kill her brother in front of her eyes, flaying his skin off inch by inch. He couldn't, of course. Gintoki was useful to have around, a good person to pretend to be friends with.

Besides, with the silver haired samurai around, the torture they could inflict on Hijikata was doubled.

"Come on, bitch," Sougo drawled, tugging on the leash and collar attached to the girl's neck.

She stepped forward compliantly, yet looking completely dignified. Sougo cast an irritated glance at her.

"If you're not going to end your sentences with a 'woof', then end your sentences with an 'oink'," Sougo commanded.

She cocked her head. "I am quite sure that dogs do not mimic pigs."

Sougo's teeth ground against each other. If he had to deal with her for much longer, he would need teeth transplants before he reached twenty, and all because he turned his teeth into dust.

"Fine then, shitty sow. Answer my questions," Sougo demanded, finally giving up on being nice and being subtle.

"Of course."

He blinked once. So it had been that easy from the beginning…

 _Sakata Tomoe snuck closer, closer._

 _If she just_ reached _out, she could touch the Amanto horse, feel its soft fur and the warmth and the powerful muscles rippling under its skin. The group of samurai following her had stayed back, ready to flee if she gave the signal. She was a lot smaller than them, and didn't wear any armor either. If it came down to it, she could probably catch up pretty easily without all that extra weight, or curl up and hide in any one of the nooks and crannies nearby._

 _Her hand reached out slowly, slowly…_

 _She froze. Lavender eyes stared into blood red eyes. She and the Amanto horse simply stared at each other for who knows how long, both motionless, save for their breathing. The samurai held their breaths._

 _Slowly, a genuine smile formed on the girl's face. The Entei were breathtaking. It wasn't just the natural love girls tended to have for horses. She simply found the creature beautiful and yet so powerful, so elegant._

 _"_ _Come with me," she whispered, finding herself unable to raise her voice._

 _The Entei's ears pricked, and its nostrils flared ever so slightly. And then it inclined its head in agreement. To go with the human girl child seemed interesting. It would pass the time better than to remain in the pasture, eating grass, locked in by the idiot Amanto species who thought a simple gate, fence, and padlock could keep the Entei in. The Entei stayed because they wished to. And they could leave anytime they wanted._

 _Perhaps following the human would show their current riders that they were just that. Riders. Not owners, or masters, as they liked to consider themselves._

 _Besides, it would be almost mind numbingly simple to kill off the human and her herd if they did not entertain the Entei._

 _Therefore, the horse whinnied loudly, and every Entei in the herd raised their heads, listening to the command of their leader. It whinnied again, and grabbed the human girl child's clothing in its teeth, before kicking up into the air with one powerful thrust of its hooves._

 _The girl child laughed, and pointed. "That way!"_

 _The Entei could see the humans with the girl child jolt, surprised, before they began scrambling in the direction the girl child pointed. The Entei ignored them, of course. They could make their own way. The Entei would not allow weaklings on their back, and to carry such heavy humans with their teeth was troublesome._

 _They ignored the Amanto riders that were shouting and running after them._


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: And the plot heats up... To everyone waiting for Takasugi to return, he will show up again in the next chapter.

* * *

"Reporting," Yamazaki said, one knee and one fist on the floor outside Hijikata's room.

He hoped the man would let him in soon. The wooden floorboards were hard and cold. Not good for one's body. The spy was quite sure that he would have arthritis in the future, if he wasn't killed first. Not good for one's pants either. Did his superior officers realize how many pairs of uniform pants he had to go through in a month, all because the knees were worn out?

"Yamazaki? Come in," Hijikata said.

Sharp black eyes met Yamazaki's, and the man shuddered. He had the feeling that if he didn't provide information worth Hijikata's time, his head would be displayed on the shinsengumi gates, without his body attached. The vice commander was _that_ stressed. And Yamazaki supposed that he had reported before Okita Sougo, otherwise the boy's bloody head would already be lying somewhere in plain view.

Sougo did _not_ do much good for Hijikata's mood, whether the vice commander was in a good mood, a semi good mood, or a downright nasty mood.

"Hai. I investigated Kazabana more closely, and there is something… strange about the place," Yamazaki said hesitantly, brows furrowed as he tried to find the best word choice.

"Strange," Hijikata said flatly.

"Yes. Unsavory people enter the bar all the time," Yamazaki said.

Hijikata's face twisted into a mild scowl, and Yamazaki was sure that the scowl would deepen for sure by the end of the report. " _Unsavory_. That is _Kabukicho_. 'Unsavory' people are _all_ there. So what's special about these _unsavory_ people?"

Yamazaki gulped. That may have been a poor choice of words. He said quickly, "No! I mean they don't look like they're there to drink! And they don't come out drunk at all! They look satisfied, but not drunk style satisfied!"

Just as Yamazaki predicted, Hijikata's scowl deepened.

"I think the bar is a cover for something," Yamazaki concluded hurriedly.

The scowl relaxed, and the spy let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Hijikata's face looked pensive now, thoughtful. A cover. That would make a lot of sense. Kabukicho wasn't just a place for bars and _mizushoubai_ , night businesses where women seduced men and showed them a good time without actually sleeping with them. It was also a place for black markets and jobs that should never see the light of day.

There were a lot of people who smuggled or sold prostitutes, despite those being illegal acts, under the covers of a legal operation. The man who was supposed to marry Okita Mitsuba was one of the people who did something like that. And he seemed perfectly decent on the surface, yet was completely twisted and wicked underneath. It wouldn't surprise Hijikata if Sakata Tomoe was the same, but at the same time, it _would_ shock him. She didn't have the aura around her. She was innocent to the core, it seemed. As a policeman who captured crooks all the time, Hijikata had developed a feel for such things.

"Hijibaka—I mean Hijikata-san," Sougo's voice drawled, turning both heads towards the door.

Sougo ambled in without knocking, and dropped into a sitting position, not bothering to kneel or show respect otherwise. Hijikata raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling the urge to consume an entire bottle of aspirin.

"Well?" Hijikata asked impatiently.

"Nothing. It's impossible to turn her into a masochist. She's probably a closet sadist like her brother," Sougo complained.

"That's not what I asked, damn it!" Hijikata half shouted.

"Eh?" Sougo gave him a blank look. "It wasn't?"

" _Sougo. Did you or did you not find information about her pertaining to who she really is_ ," Hijikata said through clenched teeth, forcing his tone to remain calm.

"Oh. She's Sakata Tomoe, eighteen years old. She was friends with Sakata Gintoki and Katsura Koutaro and Takasugi Shinsuke before and during the Joui War, but after that does not really have contact with the latter two. She is a waitress at Kazabana, and since she doesn't really like spending money, had saved enough over the years to pay off all of danna's debts. She also worked for the shogun for a few months as his personal servant," Sougo reported.

"Basically completely innocent," Hijikata sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Seems so," Sougo nodded. "So can I go take a nap now?"

" _No, you may no—_ Actually go ahead," Hijikata changed his mind. "We're going to Kazabana tonight and checking it out."

Yamazaki blinked, surprised at the turn of events. He had thought the vice commander would either stop the investigations or continue secretly. Going there outright would require a warrant, which he did not doubt they would need to search the place. Few people would let the shinsengumi go through their property without a proper warrant, whether or not they were guilty.

He was completely wrong.

"Go ahead," Sakata Tomoe said, nodding.

Hijikata gave her a suspicious look, before turning and ordering his men to go through the establishment. _Without_ disturbing anything or breaking anything, as they so often did. He stood uncomfortably in front of the girl, enduring her gaze, with Sougo sliding into the bar and ordering a drink.

" _Oi_ ," Hijikata hissed. "Don't drink on the job!"

"It's fine, isn't it? She's completely innocent," Sougo said with a wave of his hand, mimicking Hijikata's words from earlier that day.

Hijikata resisted the urge to slam the boy's head into the counter and leaving a Sougo shaped dent. He would have to pay for that, and the shinsengumi funds were already short from everything they had destroyed that week.

One of the soldiers scuttled in and whispered into Hijikata's ear. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing. He gave Tomoe a warning glare before following the shinsengumi member to the back of the establishment, and disappeared through the doors.

"Table three," the bartender said, sliding a drink to Tomoe.

She nodded and wordlessly took it to the guest, plastering a smile on her face in the process. Sougo observed her blatantly, not bothering to be discreet. The guest thanked her with a wide, drunken smile.

"Is she popular? Even like that?" Sougo asked the bartender.

"Like what?" The man asked.

"Cold," Sougo said, after little thought.

The man laughed. "Of course. A surprising number of men like the 'kuudere' type, even if she doesn't ever show the 'dere'."

"How long has she worked here?" Sougo asked, curious.

"A long time. Since the establishment was created. Four, five years?" The bartender said, brows furrowing as he tried to recall the exact time.

"Hmm," Sougo hummed, his own brows furrowing.

If she had worked in Kabukicho that long, then why did she not know about her brother's whereabouts, and why did she not search for him back then? When the girl returned to the bar, Sougo reached out and gripped her wrist, almost too tightly.

"You've worked here for years," he stated, red eyes boring into hers.

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you ever contact danna?"

"Because… Because I had to establish myself. I was supposed to be with my father, but when he left, I had to find a way to support myself. I did not want to bother Gintoki as he found a new life separate from my own. I did not realize that he would be utterly incompetent," Tomoe said, lips quirking. "When I did find out about his… financial situation, I searched for him."

Sougo thought for a moment, not releasing his grip on her wrist. She didn't seem like she was lying, and the explanation was completely logical.

And then Hijikata stormed back in with a scowl. "There are too many rooms."

"Yes, there are," Tomoe agreed, turning her attention back to the vice commander as Sougo released her.

"What business is running, other than the bar? Bars _don't_ need so many rooms, or beds," Hijikata said, moving closer, trying to intimidate her.

Tomoe stilled. Her eyes sharpened, glancing at Sougo for a moment before turning the discomforting gaze back to Hijikata. "Are you insinuating that I am a whore?"

Sougo almost smirked. "No. I heard loud and clear that you're a virgin. The one who thinks you're a whore is Hijikata-san."

"OI! What the hell! I never said that, you damned brat!" Hijikata shouted, irked.

When several customers turned to stare at him, surprised at the outburst, he quickly lowered his voice. He had forgotten about that… episode where the girl had practically announced to the entire room what her sexual status was.

Hijikata sighed. "Are you or are you not running a whorehouse? And by 'you' I mean this establishment in general."

"No, we are not," Tomoe said, gaze unwavering. "However, it is difficult for uneducated women to earn a living. The waitresses here are permitted to sell their bodies for extra payment. They only need to pay five percent of their earnings in exchange for a room, or if they bring their men home, they do not need to pay anything. It is entirely their choice, and nothing to do with Kazabana's business."

Hijikata stared at her for a moment, and she returned the stare. Finally he sighed. "Come on. We're leaving."

 _The human girl child stroked their fur, brushed them. The humans who had run back did too. The Entei enjoyed the attention, almost preening as the humans washed the grime off them, and combed the burr out of their knotted tails and manes. None of their former riders ever did something like that, and it was a nice change. Better than rolling in the dust, since dust didn't help dislodge pebbles caught in their fur._

 _It was almost enough for the Entei to switch allegiances to the humans, if they could receive such attentions daily. Almost._

 _But humans were weak. They could not defeat the Amanto, especially not the Entei's current riders. And speaking of those Amanto, they were closing in. The Entei could sense them._

 _The leader whickered, nuzzling the human girl child's hair. It was almost a pity that the girl child and the other humans would all be killed in a few minutes. But the Entei leader could not regret having followed the human. The brushes were surprisingly comfortable, scratching every itch the horse could not ever reach._

 _And she was_ happy _to do it too._

 _The horse sighed. A pity. A true pity._


	15. Chapter 15

Takasugi picked up his cup of sake and raised it to his lips, his face hidden under the straw hat. It was dangerous being in Edo, but the Tokugawa Sada Sada's head would be his soon. It was just a matter of days, hours, minutes. Takasugi fought the urge to grin and let out his bloodlust at the thought of finally killing the man who murdered his sensei.

For a moment he contemplated asking Gintoki, Zura, and Tomoe to join him in the fun, but scoffed at his own foolishness. The peace loving _idiots_ would sooner turn him in to the bakufu.

And he did _not_ want to even see Tomoe, to even think of her name after she disappointed him.

Takasugi slammed back the shot of sake and poured himself another, and drank that too. He wasn't anywhere near drunk, and he needed a little buzz right then, before his Kiheitai came to pick him up. He couldn't get drunk, and he couldn't stay sober. Otherwise, he would definitely go hunt down some bakufu dog and slaughter them, and that would ruin his plans.

"Man, Tsukikage is the _best_. You wouldn't believe…"

Takasugi's ears perked up, and his single eye burned a hole into the speaker's back.

"Tch. You couldn't afford her if you saved for your whole life," the speaker's friend said. "And it's _Tsukihime_. Not Tsukikage."

"Same thing," the first speaker waved his hand in dismissal.

Takasugi lost interest, but he kept an ear on the conversation. Just in case.

"And I did too afford her. Just cost me an arm and a leg. And a kidney," the man said as an afterthought. "The kidney part is literal."

The man's friend's eyes widened, and he grabbed the first person's shirt. "Are you _insane_?!"

"No. Worth it," the first speaker said, a smug look on his face.

"Who… No. I don't even need to ask, do I."

"No. And I've got double, triple the money I spent on the girl now."

"Excuse me," the owner of the bar said, politely, despite the tight smile on his face.

"What d'ya want?" The first speaker snapped, glaring up at the man.

"Please refrain from discussing the lady in this establishment, or in any establishment for that matter. Tsukihime-sama is a very delicate lady, and does not wish for rumors to circulate," the owner said.

Takasugi glanced over once again, interest rekindled. He understood the message very clearly. And he wanted to find out _why_.

"Hah?" The first speaker sneered, getting to his feet, raising his chin threateningly.

Takasugi scoffed at the motion. Cheap intimidation. And weaklings exposing their throat was very stupid. He could think of seven ways to kill the man without moving from the spot, and all of them involved the vulnerable throat. If he didn't include the throat, and if he was willing to move, there were many, many more ways. Quite bloody too, which suited Takasugi's mood perfectly.

"If you speak so rashly of the lady, you may have an… accident," the owner said, forcing himself to be polite, despite the harsh glare in his eyes.

" _You'll_ have an accident!" The first speaker growled, hands reaching out to shove the owner.

The man barely moved under the impact, barely even blinked. Silver flashed out, and suddenly the drunken fool gaped, hand moving to his stomach. He stumbled, mouth working, but no sound coming out. The owner's eyes flicked to the man's terrified friend, who immediately looked away.

"Well, I'd better go home, pal. Wife's waiting, you see," the not so friendly friend said, and quickly retreated.

Takasugi was quite sure the man would say nothing regarding the night's events, nor about the 'Tsukihime' person. A smirk played on his lips.

"My, my, dear guest. You seem a little too drunk. Allow me to help you to a room," the owner said, placing a hand on the man's back.

Lips tight, he scanned the room, and saw nobody but Takasugi's eyes on him. The dark eyes narrowed for a moment, and Takasugi was quite sure the man would come out to have a word with him. After he disposed of the idiot, of course.

He was right. Half a bottle of sake later, the man returned with fresh clothes on, the old ones no doubt stained with blood. Takasugi was amused. For people to kill so easily… It was refreshing. And he had no doubt that it was because of the Tsukihime person.

"Good evening," the owner said with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "May I sit here?"

Takasugi gestured to the seat. "Go ahead."

With a murmur of thanks, the owner slid into the chair across from the one eyed man, and studied him. Takasugi continued drinking, not at all uncomfortable.

"About tonight's… incident," the owner began.

"What incident?" Takasugi asked, smirking.

"Very well, sir," the owner rose, preparing to leave, but Takasugi's raised hand stopped him. He sat back down, brow raised.

"Where do I find Tsukikage?" Takasugi asked.

The man's expression tightened. "There is no such person."

"Fine, then. Tsukihime," Takasugi drawled, correcting himself.

"Tsukihime-sama does not simply accept any guest," the owner replied.

Takasugi's smirk widened. So the games have begun. He preferred more straightforward means. Such as a sword through one's guts. But he could play this game too.

"I can afford her."

"If you desire a whore, you should go to Yoshiwara. Tsukihime-sama is not a whore, and she will not stoop to such a level," the owner told him.

"I see," Takasugi said. "And if I'm not looking for a whore?"

"Then if I may ask, what are you looking for?"

"Tsukihime's… services," Takasugi leaned closer, almost grinning now.

The owner sighed. "I see. I hope you do know what you desire, because Tsukihime-sama is not forgiving."

He leaned forward as he rose, and whispered a single word into Takasugi's ear. Takasugi slammed the money down on the table and left, the wild grin still on his face. Out of the corner of his eyes he caught sight of the Kiheitai, including Kamui, waiting for him. He inclined his head for them to follow, and he strolled down the streets, eye searching for the name of the establishment he was searching for.

It took surprisingly little time, considering the chaos of Kabukicho. Under the curious eyes of his Kiheitai, Takasugi ducked into Kazabana, and studied the elegant ambience of the bar. In mere seconds, he caught sight of the lavender haired girl, and his delight grew. So he was right.

"I want to buy Tsukika—Tsukihime," he announced to the whole bar.

Behind him, he practically felt the curiosity of the Kiheitai boring holes into his back, and Matako throwing a hissy fit.

"Tsukihime-sama is not a whore. Please go to Yoshiwara for such services," the bartender said, barely sparing Takasugi a glance.

"I want Tsukihime," Takasugi repeated stubbornly.

"Sir, please…"

"No, it is alright," Tomoe said, and with a smile, pressed up against Takasugi.

He smirked, looking down at her. "Tsukihime, hmm?"

"Were you not going to kill me?" Tomoe whispered.

"Changed my mind," Takasugi murmured.

"Fickle," Tomoe backed away, hand reached out to him. "I hope you can afford me. I do not come cheap."

Takasugi chuckled darkly and followed her to the back rooms and leaned against the windowsill, watching as she locked the door behind her.

"So what brings you to my humble establishment?" Tomoe asked, the sly smile still on her face.

"I am going to kill Sada Sada," Takasugi said outright.

The smile disappeared, her eyes narrowed.

"And I'm inviting you to come with me," Takasugi continued, eye scanning her for a reaction. He cocked his head curiously. "What is your price?"

"Expensive," Tomoe said. "But affordable for you, perhaps. Takasugi Shinsuke of the Kiheitai."

"Name it," Takasugi said.

She named her price.

Takasugi chuckled once more. Cheaper than he had expected.

 _"_ _You. You were the one who stole our horses," the Amanto growled, almost surprised._

 _He had expected some buff samurai in his prime, young and powerful. Instead he got this slip of a human girl, who barely reached his hip. She stood in front of the group, with the young samurai behind her._

 _"_ _Yes," Tomoe said, grinning._

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _The Amanto was bewildered. A human child had no need for such powerful horses. They had their own weak, herbivore horses, incapable of doing anything except pulling a plow or carrying a rider. Those horses could not fight on their own, could not defeat an enemy. Those horses were suitable for the human girl, who did not look like she could kill a fly._

 _"_ _Because they're beautiful," Tomoe answered simply. "And I wanted them, so I took them."_

 _The Amanto sighed, a bloodthirsty grin growing on his face. "You do realize we'll have to slaughter all of you for this, right?"_

 _Tomoe raised her eyebrow._

 _"_ _I mean you_ did _steal our horses."_

 _"_ _I was under the impression that they followed whomever they wished," Tomoe said mildly._

 _The Entei agreed, letting out a whicker to show their approval._

 _"_ _You thought wrong," the Amanto sneered. "They're ours. We proved our strength to them, so they came to us. We own them now, because they chose to let us."_

 _"_ _How… unfortunate," Tomoe sighed. Her eyes closed._


	16. Chapter 16

"Boss…"

Tomoe and Takasugi glanced up sharply at the knocking on the door.

"The Shinsengumi are sniffing around again."

Takasugi's grin disappeared, replaced with a scowl. He cursed, already glancing around for an escape. Tomoe gave him a warning glance before moving to open the door.

"Get rid of them," she ordered.

The man visibly hesitated, before nodding in acknowledgement. He disappeared, and Tomoe shut the door. Takasugi watched as she frowned, then froze, before rushing out, slamming the door behind her.

Tomoe grabbed the man's hand as he began to slip the contents of a packet into a cup of sake, her eyes wide with something akin to panic. The man paused, surprised at her interference.

"I said get rid of them, not kill them!" Tomoe hissed.

The man smiled sheepishly, and the packet of poison disappeared up his sleeve with none the wiser. Tomoe glanced around to see that the Kiheitai had disappeared, either hiding on their own or hidden by the bar's workers, and the shinsengumi lounged around.

"Hello. May I help you?" Tomoe asked politely, a smile on her face.

"Ah, Tomoe-chan, right?" Kondo asked, grinning.

Tomoe twitched invisibly at the use of her first name and honorific from someone she had not given permission to do so. "Yes. And you are Kondo-san, correct?"

"Ahahaha! Yeah. We came to apologize. I heard that Toushi and Sougo did something bad to you," Kondo laughed.

"Oh. That is nothing. They were simply doing their jobs," Tomoe said graciously.

"Well, they still have to apologize. So _apologize_ ," Kondo said.

"I'm sorry," Sougo and Hijikata chorused, bowing at a perfect ninety degree angle.

"Really, it is fine. I hold no grudges for that incident," Tomoe said.

"Alright then. We'll be leaving. Have a good night," Kondo said, herding the two shinsengumi members out the door.

Tomoe remained in a bow until they disappeared through the doors. She leveled a hard stare at each of the people working for her, and they gave sheepish smiles in return as the glint of weapons and poisons vanished.

"Refrain from doing something so thoughtless next time. Do you wish for the shinsengumi to disturb our business?" Tomoe asked.

"We apologize," the bartender bowed, a motion repeated by all the workers.

The drinking customers barely spared them a glance at the actions usually not seen in other bars. The service was good because of the discipline, and Kazabana was a safe place to drink. They could always stumble into a room to sleep if they were too drunk to return home, and no accidents ever happened in the nearby alleys. In return for such services, they could ignore disciplinary actions that should usually occur behind closed doors.

Tomoe scanned the bar once again, then nodded and returned to the room where Takasugi still lounged. He barely glanced up at her, taking a puff from his pipe.

"I apologize for the interruption," Tomoe said.

"What did they want?"

"They apologized for mistaking this establishment for a brothel," Tomoe replied.

Takasugi raised an eyebrow, amused. "Interesting. And clever. As I expected of you, _Tsukikage_."

"Tsukikage does not sound like a hostess's name, or a whore's name. Tsukihime is an unknown name, and it fits the situation," Tomoe told him, moving to sit.

Takasugi scoffed. "I can't believe you never told me."

"You never asked."

He inclined his head, accepting the compromise. He had not come to argue with her. He came to find out if his suspicions were correct, and if he could allow himself to remain in contact with the girl.

He was pleasantly surprised.

"So will you accept my price?" Tomoe asked, a brow raised.

Takasugi took a drag from his pipe. "Yeah. Sure."

She smiled, a genuine smile that lit up her face. "Thank you."

Takasugi rose. "I'll come find you later."

Tomoe followed him as he left the room, and found the Kiheitai all standing at ready, waiting for their leader. Tomoe cocked her head as she studied the faces, eyes landing on one male in particular. How curious.

"We're leaving," Takasugi commanded, then turned to Tomoe. "See you later."

Before anybody could react, he leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth. Eyes fluttering shut, she returned the gesture. It wasn't strange for Takasugi to do such a thing. He used to be her boyfriend, after all, but she knew those types of affections were beyond him now. He did not love her, and she did not love him. What remained were the vestiges of their feelings.

She bowed, and they walked out, a pair of murderous eyes lingering on her figure before disappearing out the door. Tomoe rose from the bow, eyes twinkling with amusement as she got to work.

"Shinsuke-sama, I'm going to take a walk," Matako said sweetly.

Takasugi nodded, smirking.

Bansai hesitated, glancing between Matako's retreating back and his leader. "I'm going with her."

Takasugi's smirk grew as he stood there, enjoying his pipe.

"You know they're going to kill her, right?" Kamui said, eyes bright. "Or at least they'll try."

"Hou?" Takasugi asked, eyes focusing on the younger Yato.

"You don't care?" Abuto asked, brows shooting up. "You kissed her. That means she's your girlfriend or something, right? Or was that just an after sex thing with a prostitute?"

"She's no prostitute," Kamui answered for Takasugi.

Takasugi's eye lit up in pleasure. He had chosen well when he brought Kamui into the group. He knew he would fight the Yato eventually, but that only added to the fun. Until then, Kamui never failed to amuse him.

"Right?" Kamui asked Takasugi.

"No. She isn't."

Kamui nodded sagely. "I thought so. Whores don't smell like blood and death."

"She doesn't," Abuto said, confused. "She smells nice."

"Not that kind of smell. The aura or something," Kamui said. "You sense it more than smell it."

For a moment, Takasugi wished Kamui had been with him when he was at the festival so long ago. Then he could have just told him about Tomoe, instead of him having to play all these detective games.

"Is she strong?" Kamui asked, eyes twinkling as he stared up at Takasugi.

"Yeah. Very," The man took a drag, slowly blowing the smoke out and watching it spiral into the night air before returning his gaze to the younger Yato. "You want to join them, right? Go ahead."

"I might kill her," Kamui pointed out.

"I'm going to walk to where the three of you fight her, very slowly. And if you manage to kill her before I get there… Well, I don't want or need anybody that weak with me," Takasugi said simply.

"How cruel," Kamui said, not at all meaning those words, a bloodthirsty glint already forming in his eyes. " _If_ I can kill her, hmm?"

Takasugi watched as Kamui walked off in the same direction as Matako and Bansai. Even though the two had disappeared, most likely ducked into an alley to wait for the girl to finish work and walk out, Takasugi did not doubt that Kamui would easily find Tomoe and have his fight with her. He only needed to follow his Yato instincts, and he would find where the battle was.

For a moment, Takasugi wondered if Kamui could kill the half Shinra girl, and smirked. He almost wished he could join in.

 _Tomoe grinned as the group of Amanto charged, not at all fazed by the attack. She raised a hand, palm facing the Amanto, and in a sharp movement, turned it sideways. The samurai charged._

 _She stood still, watching for a moment as the two groups clashed. Her eyes shifted over to the Amanto horses, who watched with as much interest as she did. Only the leader stared at her, waiting for her to make her own move._

 _"_ _We're not that weak, you know," she told it quietly. "We may be humans, but we're as good as the Amanto. We'll prove it to you."_

 _The Entei nodded, and she smiled. And she_ moved _._

 _The Amanto, horse and rider, could not believe their eyes when the humans began to overpower them, all grinning, barely breaking a sweat. Swords flashed, every swing slicing something vital, each samurai making sure their opponents were dead before moving on to the next one. And they worked together, protecting each other's backs. If one Amanto attacked a samurai before they were ready, another samurai blocked the attack and engaged._

 _As for the eight year old girl, nobody saw her. At least not until it was too late._

 _One would expect lavender hair to be clearly visible, especially with the blue kimono she wore, but it was the very opposite. It wasn't just her height either, even though that made things hard enough. It was difficult enough to see an attacker that didn't even reach one's hips, especially when everyone else around was much taller. But she also blurred in and out of sight, only visible when she was slitting somebody's throat, compensating for her short reach with the long naginata._

 _All too soon, the group of Amanto were slaughtered or severely injured, and the samurai were all alive, barely a scrape on them._

 _"_ _Why… How…?" The leader of the Amanto riders reached out, clawed hand trembling._

 _"_ _Simple. We're stronger," Tomoe said, a soft smile on her face. "And you're dead."_

 _Her naginata pierced through the back of the man's neck, snapping through the spine before rupturing the throat. She stepped back to avoid the spray of blood, pulling out her weapon in the process._

 _"_ _Tomoe-chan, nice work," one of the samurai said, grinning._

 _She winked, giving the group a thumbs up. "You guys too."_


	17. Chapter 17

Tomoe walked calmly back from Kazabana, enjoying the night air untainted by alcohol and sweat and tobacco and the general stench of the various species in Kabukicho. She always liked taking the long route back to the Yorozuya, even if it meant leaving Kabukicho before entering once again. This way she got to pass through the silent park, devoid of all but animal sounds and the wind combing through the grass and trees.

The duo stalking her could see her relaxed posture, and one could hear her song, peaceful and unrushed. Bansai cocked his head, listening to her tune for a long moment. It was quite refreshing to hear pure classical Japanese music, a mixture of the koto, shamisen, and fue. Almost like the music a geisha would perform or dance to. He had not heard sounds like that for a long time, not since before the Amanto took over Edo.

Takasugi's tune was similar, sometimes, but even his had a hint of rock, which increased or decreased depending on his mood, but never faded completely. Takasugi's tune was addicting. And somehow, despite being so calm and seemingly plain, the girl's tune was just as entrancing, drawing him in.

Bansai supposed he should have expected it. Takasugi Shinsuke never willingly associated himself with boring people, instead surrounding himself with people with interesting tunes. It didn't seem to matter whether those people were enemies or allies. The leader of the Kiheitai _only_ gained interest in people whom he deemed worthy of his time.

As Matako moved, sneaking forward towards the girl, he dragged himself back to reality. Considering that the girl's tune hadn't changed since she was working, she had no idea that they were following her, even with Matako's killing intent leaking from her body.

And then Tsukihime, whatever her true name was, stopped. Bansai and Matako froze, quickly ducking behind a tree. Bansai furrowed his brows, listening for a change in her tune. There was none. The stop could be a routine thing, even if it _was_ unexpected for her two temporary stalkers.

"You can come out now. Nobody comes here at this time of night, so we shall not be interrupted," Tsukihime's soft voice called out.

Bansai's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. She… knew? She realized they were following them, yet her tune never gave a clue? It had never sounded nervous or anticipatory, not even for a second.

"Heh. Not bad, for a whore," Matako smirked, stepping out into plain view.

"You were with Shin-chan," the girl said, cocking her head slightly. "The Kiheitai, I presume?"

"Don't call Shinsuke-sama so familiarly!" Matako growled, eyes narrowing as she grabbed her guns.

The girl only laughed lightly. "If he allows me to, I do not see why I require your permission as well. And you should come out as well. Unless you are only going to observe?"

Bansai stepped out, resigned. The girl was a strange one indeed. Even seeing the weapons, her tune didn't waver. She was no whore. No, she was not even a normal person. He could only conclude that she was either an idiot of very confident in her abilities. And he could immediately rule out the former, as Takasugi did not associate with idiots.

"Matako," Bansai began.

He knew he should stop her before she got herself killed. The girl was dangerous, and Matako didn't even realize it. Hell, _he_ hadn't realized it until mere seconds ago. He had made the amateur mistake of underestimating someone.

But Matako wasn't listening. Her bloodlust blasted from her body at full force, her eyes trained only on the lavender haired girl. She wanted to kill the girl she assumed had slept with her precious Shinsuke-sama. Yet Bansai now knew that she _hadn't_ slept with their leader. Matako wouldn't be deterred, though. The kiss was enough to incense her.

Matako's guns rose, both aiming at the girl. The faint smile never disappeared from Tsukihime's face.

"Should you not introduce yourself before you engage with an opponent?" Tsukihime asked lightly.

"I don't need to give my name to a dead whore."

"Fair enough," Tsukihime inclined her head.

And the guns roared.

The girl stood still, but her eyes moved. At the very last moment she _shifted_ , and the bullets blazed harmlessly past. Matako's eyes widened in surprise and rage. She gritted her teeth as she pulled the trigger in quick succession, only to have the bullets all miss.

The lavender haired girl never moved a step.

As Matako glared at her, quickly reloading her guns, Tsukihime raised two fingers to her lips. Bansai stiffened. But she only let out a piercing whistle, alerting someone, or calling someone. His eyes narrowed, wondering if they would have to run.

But a horse whinnied, and white flashed as the oversized horse landed behind the girl, red eyes glaring at the two Kiheitai members. Bansai felt his jaw drop, his stomach weighing like a heavy stone. It was an Amanto horse. An Entei, if he knew one. And if the legends were correct, they only accepted the strongest riders. For one to come at Tsukihime's beck and call… It only confirmed his suspicions. She was dangerous.

"Raitei," Tsukihime murmured.

She _turned her back_ on Matako and Bansai, a move usually fatal in a battle, yet she did it so easily that Bansai wondered if she had eyes on the back of her head. And then he shook his head. She didn't need eyes there. She had the Entei glaring at them, ready to move to protect his mistress.

Matako finished reloading with a loud click, and the guns pointed at the girl's exposed back.

 _BANG!_

Tsukihime turned serenely, a smile still on her face as she drew a katana out of the sheath on the horse's back, and easily deflected the bullets. She cocked her head and took a single step forward, and another, still redirecting bullets left and right as she moved closer and closer to the gunslinger.

For the first time since she began the attack, a hint of fear appeared on Matako's face. Bansai placed a hand on his shamisen, ready to draw the hidden blade. If the two Kiheitai members worked together, they should be able to hold back the girl. Should.

But he never needed to. Just as her sword flashed, glinting silver in the moonlight as the blade swung towards Matako's throat, something landed heavily in front of the blonde. As the cloud of dust rose, Matako flew backwards, knocked away by whatever had landed, and slid to a stop, unconscious.

Bansai took a few steps back to where she lay motionless, and checked for a pulse. It beat strongly. Assuring himself that she was alive and Takasugi would _not_ have to kill him for doing something stupid and getting a Kiheitai member killed, Bansai turned his attention to the fight.

And he froze.

Her tune finally changed, if only for a few brief seconds. Traditional music mixed with pop, creating an upbeat, addicting melody, and he knew Tsukihime had finally gotten serious.

Kamui smirked as the dust settled, allowing him to look into the eyes of his opponent. He was pleasantly surprised to find on her face a bloodthirsty grin that so much resembled his own, and his grin only widened. He released her katana from where he gripped it between his palms, and she jumped back. It was the perfect distance from which she could leap into offense or defense, whichever the situation called for.

Kamui felt shudders of pleasure run up and down his spine, felt his killing intent skyrocket. He wanted to fight her. Kill her. She may be a woman, and he didn't like killing women, but in this case, he wouldn't mind bathing in her blood.

The sadistic smile remained on her face for only a second longer, before it reverted to the calm smile he had seen in the bar. Kamui was almost disappointed for a moment, but then he figured he could force her to smile like that again.

"My, I actually got serious for a moment there. That was dangerous," the girl said mildly. "Sakata Tomoe."

Kamui hopped on one leg, his bloodthirsty grin also reverting back to his usual smile. "Kamui of the Yato."

"Ah. You are Kagura's brother, I suppose? You look similar."

"And you are the silver haired samurai's little sister," Kamui noted, then cocked his head. "You're not human."

"Half," she replied easily.

Kamui's eyes widened with delight, his smile starting to show too many teeth. She only inclined her head in acknowledgement of his desire to fight. And as if they had been given a signal, they _moved_.

As he watched the two _monsters_ clash, legs colliding with painful force and sword barely missing skin, he suddenly realized why Tomoe, as she now introduced herself, wore such a short kimono. It had nothing to do with her being a 'whore', as Matako put it. It was so she could fight without hindrances, yet still provide the imagine of being an innocent, feminine lady.

The bare blade of the katana wove, the moonlight illuminating the girl's hair, eyes, blade as she engaged in the deadly dance. She ducked under flying fists and kicking legs, the tall geta not at all hindering her as she leapt and ducked silently. In turn, Kamui dodged or deflected every slash, his Yato instincts coming in handy. Bansai had no doubt that if Kamui had been a normal human, he would either be riddled with wounds or dead by now.

It was a terrifying day when a mere girl could fight evenly with a Yato, especially when neither of them, aside from the initial few seconds, had begun to fight seriously.

 _"_ _I'll have to think of a name for you," Tomoe murmured, stroking the Entei's neck. "It would be rude to call you 'it' all the time."_

 _The Entei cocked his head. He never had a name. None of his previous riders bothered with one._

 _"_ _How about Raitei?" Tomoe suggested. "It can mean either lightning emperor or lightning foot, depending on the kanji. It suits you."_

 _The Entei thought for a moment, then whickered in agreement. It was a name that fit the majestic creature perfectly, and he knew it. Raitei. He would answer to that name._


	18. Chapter 18

Takasugi approached slowly, his single eye trained on the fight in the distance. He could see flashes of red and white over the treetops as Kamui flew through the air, and glimpses of lavender and darker purple as Tomoe met his movements. Loud crashes rang through the air, wood and dirt flying from the impact.

If Kamui was fighting against her, it meant that either Matako and Bansai had already lost, or Kamui had jumped in and the two were standing aside. Both of them knew better than to get in the middle of one of the Yato's fights, especially a Yato as uncontrollable as Kamui.

He could only wonder how Tomoe was faring.

Takasugi knew that frontal fights, verging on a brawl, were not Tomoe's style. She was more elegant, a silent killer. She was built like an assassin; her blood and her instinct were those of an assassin race. Tomoe moved silently, inconspicuously despite her very conspicuous hair and eyes, seemingly innocent and harmless. They were all traits assassins required to survive.

But he hadn't realized she had become good enough at this style of fighting to match Kamui move for move. She had learned both fighting styles at the same time, in the two years before the war and during the war. Her squad participated in guerilla warfare at night, sneaking into enemy camps and destroying them, and by day they fought as a cavalry, the vanguard. Even then, she wove in and out of engagement with the opponents, in a quick pattern of strike and retreat.

He had no doubt she was doing the same against Kamui. And he had no doubt that Kamui was driving her to engage for longer than she was comfortable with before she finally forced them apart.

Abuto sighed. "Taichou is making a mess again…"

The park would undoubtedly be torn up when the fight ended, leaving a lot of curious people and irritated policemen. Not to mention the poor gardeners who would have to make the section of the park look presentable again. If that was even possible. Abuto knew better than anyone what happened when Kamui got wild.

He destroyed. _Everything_.

Takasugi smirked. "Nobody will know."

Abuto glanced sideways at the one eyed man, but kept his mouth shut. He couldn't comprehend how Takasugi could so easily send Kamui to fight the girl. Kamui was too strong, even for the Yato. The boy could destroy an army of Yato without breaking a sweat. For him to fight a human girl…

By now, even if Kamui was going easy on her, the girl had to be fighting desperately for her life. He was surprised she had lasted this long. Abuto accelerated, even though he didn't know what he could do once they arrived. He had already lost an arm to the red haired boy, and it was difficult enough to stop Kamui with all his limbs intact.

A torn up park would draw attention.

A torn up corpse in the middle of said park would draw all the authorities in Edo.

Soon enough, the trio consisting of Takasugi, Abuto, and Takechi got close enough to see every move in the fight. Takasugi's smirk grew, his eye widening. His blood sang. He wanted to fight her again, see for himself how much she had improved since the Last Generation split apart.

And suddenly everything froze.

The edge of Tomoe's katana stopped against Kamui's throat, glinting threateningly. In return, the tip of Kamui's fingers paused at her throat, ready to tear it out. They stood like statues for a moment, a cheerful smile on one face and a soft smile on the other, and Takasugi got the feeling that the expressions never changed throughout the fight.

Almost like they held a conversation with their eyes and reached an agreement, the two simultaneously relaxed, removing the threats of death from each other's throats. The two turned their backs, Tomoe moving back to the horse to sheathe her katana, and Kamui walking in the opposite direction, towards where Takasugi stood waiting.

"She would bear strong children," Kamui commented.

"If there's a man who could handle her," Takasugi retorted.

"I can," Kamui cocked his head, smile innocent, but eyes scanning Takasugi's face for his reaction.

"You won't." Takasugi's eye glinted with a partly veiled threat.

Kamui laughed lightly, but left the short discussion at that.

"She's alive," Abuto said, surprised.

"Of course. She's a woman," Kamui said, feigning a harmlessly confused expression, as if he hadn't thought several times about fighting seriously to the death during their fight.

As if finally sensing Takasugi's arrival, Matako groaned, hand reaching up to cover her eyes, the black and yellow spots dancing behind her eyelids too bright for her newly acquired headache. Her eyes fluttered open to see the night sky, stars invisible past the pollution.

Matako frowned, mind muddled. Last thing she remembered, she was fighting the girl, even if it couldn't be called 'fighting'. She was _shooting_ at the girl. That was better. And then something had hit her really hard, and then everything went black. Matako's eyes blurred out of focus once more before her vision sharpened, and she sat up.

Nobody except Bansai paid the blonde any attention.

"Wha—?" Matako cleverly asked.

"You got… knocked out," Bansai said.

"By that bitch?" Matako gaped in disbelief.

"No. By Kamui-dono," Bansai corrected.

Matako blinked, brows furrowing, trying to make sense of the situation. How in the world did _Kamui_ fit into this? Only then did she glance around, and lost sight of everything around her the moment she caught sight of a butterfly patterned dark kimono.

"Shinsuke-sama!" Matako gasped, eyes wide.

No, no, no, no, no! Had Shinsuke-sama seen how pathetic she was? How long had Shinsuke-sama been there?

But Matako's precious 'Shinsuke-sama' didn't even look at her as he advanced slowly towards the lavender haired girl and silvery white horse. The horse gave a warning snort, recognizing the man, but simultaneously sensing that he had changed from before. Takasugi took a few steps further just to spite the Entei before he stopped a few feet from the girl, just close enough to draw his sword and slash her in a quick motion.

However, he knew that if he was close enough for that, she was too. And because of her smaller stature, Shouyou sensei had directed her towards _iai jutsu_ , the art of quick draw. Tomoe knew how to fight without sheathing her sword every time, of course, but when it came to baring the katana, she was the fastest out of the Last Generation.

Tomoe turned her head to look at him, studying his dark form under the moonlight. Half illuminated by the faint glow and half hidden in the shadows, Takasugi looked like the mass murderer he was, yet formed an alluring figure. He seemed like the dark and dangerous type of man women would be attracted to, but too afraid to approach.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the viewpoint, Tomoe did not fear him.

"How cruel," Tomoe said, but her lips curved into a smile. "You sent them to see if they could kill me. Or was it the opposite? That you sent them to die?"

"They went on their own. Kamui was the only one I gave permission to," Takasugi replied.

Her mouth twitched wryly. "How nice. You sent a _Yato_. He is the most dangerous one."

"He doesn't like killing women. He wouldn't have killed you," Takasugi said dismissively.

"Tell _him_ that," Tomoe retorted. "He was perfectly willing to get serious."

"As were you."

"Fair point," Tomoe inclined her head graciously. "I would like to fight him again. Perhaps to the death next time, once I accomplish my… goals."

"Go ahead," Takasugi shrugged.

The two remained silent for a moment before she asked, "So have I passed your test?"

Takasugi smirked. "Definitely."

 _Sakata Tomoe sat, rocking back and forth, eyes closed and brows furrowed with thought. She had to think of a name for her small army. She had her cavalry of a hundred each of horses and samurai, and unlike her brother's and Zura's followers, hers was an_ organized _group under her leadership, and only hers._

 _Gintoki and Zura winged it with their followers. Their men came and went as they pleased, more allies than comrades. Not to mention that they all fought solo rather than as a group, and neither gave nor followed instructions from anyone. Those idiots formed temporary partnerships or groups that watched each other's backs during a fight, then split up and grouped with different people in the next battle. The only consistent pair seemed to be Gintoki and Zura, since they came from the same place, and knew very well how to work together._

 _She hadn't wanted a group, an army of her own. Yet they had just gathered around her, and refused to go anywhere. So she protected them, and they protected her. The miniature army was practically a family, just like Shin-chan's Kiheitai._

 _Kamikaze? Asakaze? Harukaze? Matsukaze? Hatakaze?_

 _The first sounded too arrogant, and the last sounded stupid. Matsukaze sounded like a mushroom, and the second and third… Weren't bad, actually. Harukaze was quite nice. Even if it wasn't spring._

 _She sighed, glancing up at the clouds. Clouds… Tomoe blinked._

 _'Amatsu kaze_

 _Kumo no kayoiji_

 _Fuki toji yo_

 _Otome no sugata_

 _Shibashi todome mu'_

 _"That's it!" She shouted, a large grin on her face, startling the samurai on the ground. She peered over the side of the roof and shouted an apology._

 _Heavenly Wind._

 _Amatsukaze._

* * *

A/N: Amatsukaze is the twelfth poem of the Hundred Poems in Japan.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you to Mira91, khr216, Mandkiva, Roseko-chan, and hamysophie2910 for the follows/faves!

* * *

"Let's go," Takasugi said.

Tomoe watched as the Kiheitai—including the two Yato—turned to leave, the blonde who attacked her carried by a perverted looking man. Failing to hear anybody follow, Takasugi paused mid step and turned to frown at Tomoe.

" _Today_ , Tomoe," Takasugi snapped.

She raised an eyebrow. " _Now_? We're murdering that bastard _now_?"

Needless to say, Abuto's jaw fell open. He did _not_ expect a girl like that to drop such a dirty word without batting an eyelash. Or to say a line like that either. Wasn't she supposed to be a demure, harmless woman? But then he shook his head at his stupidity. She just fought Kamui equally, and nobody who could do that could _ever_ be considered harmless. Takasugi merely nodded.

"Always a sense for the dramatic," Tomoe sighed. "When you said you would pick me up later, I did not expect 'later' to mean in a few hours' time."

Takasugi shrugged. "Later could mean anywhere from a few seconds to a few dozen years."

She fought the urge to smack him in the head. Not because she had that much willpower, but because he was far enough that she would have to run after him before whacking him upside the head, and by then the reaction would be deemed 'late'. Tomoe slipped her katana from where it lay bound to Raitei's shoulder, ignoring the naginata, and with a smile, she patted the horse's neck. Raitei whickered and nuzzled her hair for a moment, taking care not to mess it up, before giving her a push.

He was still wary of the one eyed man from his mistress' childhood, of course. But considering that she could hold her own against that Yato boy, and the strongest members of the group seemed to have enough honor to allow one on one fights to remain one on one, Raitei didn't think he needed to worry.

Besides, she was an assassin, and assassins killed quickly and quietly. He knew very well that if she wanted to, she could disappear any time, and slit anybody's throat before they even knew she was killing them.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Tomoe asked, raising an eyebrow at Takasugi.

"Destroy everything," Takasugi answered, just as Kamui said, "Kill everyone."

She frowned. "No."

"You can't give Shinsuke-sama orders!" Matako spat, but everyone ignored her.

"Because you will have the bakufu chasing you. If you have not noticed, the Shinsengumi and Mimawarigumi are all here, as well as the local police."

"So what do you suggest?" Takasugi asked impatiently.

"We kill them, steal their clothes, and stash the bodies somewhere, and walk out like we own the place," Tomoe said simply.

And as the group stared at her, she vanished. They only blinked once before she was gesturing to them from the seven Naraku member corpses, before she started stripping them of their clothing. Takasugi smirked. She _was_ useful. They quickly donned their disguises and walked in.

"Finally! Get me out alrea—" Tokugawa Sada Sada began, but paused when swords cut through the bars instead of keys opening the lock.

"I have for questions for you," Tomoe said as she stepped into the open cell.

Sada Sada's face fell, contorting in fear and realization. Her hat cast a long shadow over her eyes, rendering them invisible. But Takasugi had no doubt that they were the ice cold, murderous eyes of Tsukikage. He smirked, knowing exactly what she was planning. If this was the price she had demanded from him, then it was too cheap.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" The former shogun demanded, backing away until he was against the wall, with nowhere else to run.

"I ask the questions here," Tomoe said, voice devoid of emotions as she pointed her katana at the man's throat. He whimpered. "First question: how many people died in the Joui War?"

"A-an i-insignificant number of people! All that died were insects! Trash!" Sada Sada sneered despite his terror.

Tomoe paused. "Wrong."

A swing of the sword, and an arm flew through the air, sending droplets of blood flying in a neat arc. Tokugawa Sada Sada's scream rang through the cells, but the Kiheitai plus one knew that nobody would come for the man.

"Question two: what is Shige-ku… Shige Shige to you?"

Takasugi raised an eyebrow, wondering where she was going with this. She had four questions, and she was wasting it with such a useless one? Or rather, what was her connection to the current shogun? To call him 'Shige-kun' implied a close relationship, and Takasugi was sure she hated the bakufu as much as he did.

"He is my dear nephew!" Sada Sada said with confidence, knowing he couldn't get this question wrong. "I am his beloved uncle, and I advise him so he could make the best decisions for the country."

Her lips curled up into a smirk. "Wrong."

The armless Sada Sada shrieked. " _How? Why?_ "

"You don't care about Shige-kun. You just care about using him as a puppet so you can continue to hold power over Edo," Tomoe sneered. Her eyes sharpened, but in his pain and under the shadow of her hat, he couldn't see that. "Question three: who were the Amatsukaze?"

Confusion crossed his face. He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it once again. He had no clue. He knew only that it was the title of one of the Hundred Poems, but other than that…

Takasugi could see the girl's hand tighten around the hilt, her already pale hand turning paper white under the force she applied. She was doing everything she could to maintain composure, to keep herself from quivering with rage. But she failed. He could see her hands trembling, her teeth grinding hard against each other. Her sword lashed out, more violently than before, and it took three hacks before she cut through the leg. For a moment he thought she would lose it and simply kill him. Takasugi would have to stop her, of course. It wasn't a part of their deal.

But she surprisingly kept control of herself, using the man's screams to calm her rage. When she spoke, her voice was so even that Takasugi felt a tremor run up his spine, and he couldn't tell if it was from admiration or lust.

"That was three strikes. One final chance. _Who was Yoshida Shouyou_?"

Tokugawa Sada Sada's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, his double chins trembling. "H-he…"

She didn't wait for his answer. She simply sent his single remaining limb to another corner of the cell, and stepped back. Tomoe smirked, finally taking her hat off, allowing the man to see her face. He froze completely, terrified. Takasugi wrinkled his nose with disgust as he saw a stain form on the seat of the man's pants, and an acrid stench waft up through the cell. Behind him, Matako made a choking sound of disgust.

It was disgusting, to see a man so terrified of a little girl who toed the line between childhood and adulthood. Physically, at least. Mentally she had become an adult the moment their sensei was taken. Just like the rest of them had.

That was why, in spite of his loathing for the former shogun, Takasugi couldn't exactly blame the man for his terror. The icy cold eyes filled with nothing but hatred and bloodlust, the usually pale lavender eyes turned crimson like a demon god's, was a sight many had lost their wits at, Amanto and samurai alike. And once again, as he had many times in the war, Takasugi was glad she had no intentions of becoming his enemy.

Her enemies all tended to visit Izanami.

Takasugi stepped forward with his sword raised, his smirk mirroring that of the girl now behind him. "Give my regards to sensei for me."

 _"I don't see why we have to plan. Just wing it like usual," Gintoki drawled, a pinky in his ear._

 _Takasugi's eye twitched, and his hand lashed out, the papers he held whacking the silver haired samurai on the head. "This fight is bigger than usual, idiot. It's one of the main Amanto armies."_

 _"It's not like plans work. They're the first thing that falls apart," Zura pointed out._

 _"At least plan the initial positions, damn it!" Takasugi growled._

 _"The usual, right?" Tomoe asked, leaning over the map. "My Amatsukaze will be the vanguard. We'll cut as deeply into the enemy lines as possible. Gintoki and Zura and the other foot soldiers will follow and kill anybody that gets through us. Shin-chan, the Kiheitai can wait at these cliffs and attack from the flanks. At the worst we could use a pincer attack. At best, Amatsukaze could get through to the very back and we can box the enemy in between these cliffs."_

 _Takasugi nodded, turning his attention back to the planning even as Gintoki yawned, paying them absolutely no attention. "We have to get there first, then. It's the ideal location for us, since our army is smaller and mobile, while they're big and heavy. They have wagons of supplies to transport too."_

 _"Do we need the supplies?" Tomoe turned to Katsura, the idiot in charge of their resources._

 _The group had argued long and hard over who should take care of the supplies, since two of the four were idiots. Gintoki had wanted Tomoe to do it, since she was a girl, but she promptly dissuaded him with a hard kick to where the sun doesn't shine. The job hand ended up with Katsura because he was the one with the least work in the army—Gintoki was in charge of Covert Ops outside of guerilla tactics, Takasugi had the Kiheitai, and Tomoe had Amatsukaze, while Katsura had… nothing—and he was the only one who knew how to take care of food supplies. He knew not to let insects in, or to let the food rot, at least. That was already far more than what the rest of them were capable of._

 _Besides, at least if Zura cooked, onigiri had different flavors. If it was up to Gintoki, they would have tamago kakegohan every day. And it was quite easy to get sick of raw eggs on rice._

 _Katsura thought for a moment, brows furrowed. "It wouldn't hurt. But it isn't_ necessary _. We have enough for another half a year."_

 _Tomoe nodded. "Then the Amatsukaze will go in first."_

 _"You're sabotaging them?"_

 _"It wouldn't hurt," she mimicked Zura's words, lips twitching into a smirk. "They're five days away, right? We'll go in for three nights, while the rest of you move into position. We'll get one night's rest before the battle."_

 _Her three friends stared at her. They hated her sneaking into an enemy's camps like that. It was dangerous. But they couldn't really complain. It had saved them more than once, and fewer lives were lost because of the Amatsukaze's dirty methods. Besides, it was just as dangerous to go into the battlefield, and they allowed that._

 _"I'll give the orders. We leave tonight," Tomoe said, before flashing them a smile. "See you in three days."_


	20. Chapter 20

Dawn was approaching, the watery golden rays slowly pushing the darkness of night away. The sky slowly turned crimson, the hue mirroring the color of the former shogun's blood, the man now dead and in multiple pieces. Tomoe almost felt sorry for the men who would find his body, knowing it was a gruesome sight for those not used to blood and death, but she found that she didn't really care. The thirteenth shogun's death only meant that another one of her targets no longer existed. The group had dumped their disguises along the way, Takasugi and Tomoe knowing and caring enough about hiding evidence to buy a bottle of bleach and pour it over the materials before leaving them in the dark alley.

Takasugi and Tomoe stared at each other, the rest of the Kiheitai far enough away to keep from accidentally—or purposely, in Matako's case—eavesdropping and to give them privacy. Bansai had to drag Matako with them, of course, otherwise she would have once again attacked the girl in purple, and that would have led to the blonde's certain demise.

"You're… not coming," Takasugi stated, almost disappointed.

"You knew this from the beginning," Tomoe replied, almost gently.

"I did," Takasugi acknowledged.

Takasugi had wanted the assassin to go with him when the Joui War ended, and he wanted her to go with him now. She was a powerful fighter, and always useful. His feelings from his childhood and young adult years didn't matter, didn't play a role in his desire. It was purely for practical reasons that he wanted her in the Kiheitai, even though he knew she was a leader and not a follower. She would never follow him, never proceed towards her goals under his command.

Her creation of Kazabana was proof of that.

She could have worked solo, he thought resentfully, and that would have left her free to do anything, go anywhere. Free to follow him, even if she didn't follow his orders or join the Kiheitai. He thought she had sworn off creating a group to call friends or 'family' after Amatsukaze, but here she stood, an assassin affiliated with a bar that covered its operations as a brothel which covered its operations as a place to hire the best assassins in Edo.

And worse, he had no doubt that they were as loyal to her as Amatsukaze had been, and that she returned the sentiments. She would not leave them behind, and if he killed them all just to get her to follow him, she would simply hunt him down and kill him for revenge instead. Even if he massacred everyone secretly, she would find out he was the culprit.

"It's safer in space," Takasugi attempted.

It was a weak argument, and he knew it. She knew it too. Tomoe smiled and shook her head.

"I have spent the last few months convincing everyone that I am weak and innocent and harmless. Even Gintoki believes the act. I am as safe here as anywhere else. I have a business here that both humans and Amanto know about, and even the Tendoushuu hire me," she said. "Besides, why would I leave Edo when almost everybody I wish to destroy is here?"

"The Tendoushuu and Naraku aren't," Takasugi said, raising an eyebrow.

"The Tendoushuu hire me," Tomoe said simply. "That way they can keep an eye on me, for they already know they are my targets, but it also means I can keep an eye on them. It makes it easier for me to kill them anytime I want to. That goes both ways, but I will not die so easily."

That was true enough. Tsukikage was not wanted the way Takasugi was. In fact, the bakufu probably did not know what she looked like. After all, it was hard to believe that an eight year old girl could participate in the Joui War and kill thousands, if not millions, of Amanto soldiers. Tsukikage, just like Shiroyasha, remained a myth and a legend. Takasugi Shinsuke and Katsura Koutarou, on the other hand, became jouishishi leaders after the war, and were very well known figures. Too well, perhaps, if one considered the wanted notices plastered in every police station and on every bulletin board in Edo.

"I wonder how the Tendoushuu and _shogun-sama_ ," Takasugi spat the name mockingly, "would react when he finds out you helped me."

"What makes you think he will?"

Takasugi stared at her for a moment.

Her lips curled coyly. "And what makes you think the Tendoushuu didn't know I was going to kill that man?"

Takasugi's eye narrowed, suspicion rising within him like a coiled snake. "Did they hire you to kill him? I'll kill you…"

"You will not. And they did not hire me," Tomoe said, waving a hand flippantly. "They already knew I would kill him. Why else do you think there were seven men guarding the jail cell, and why were they so weak? The Tendoushuu either did not know or did not agree on whether they wanted that bastard dead or not, so they set more guards than necessary, yet at the same time made them weaker than necessary."

She cocked her head, studying him for a moment, her smile turning gentle.

"You are always welcome in Kazabana," Tomoe said, before glancing at the rest of the Kiheitai. "All of you."

Takasugi smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think we'll come to you again?"

"You will," she said.

The smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. The matter of fact tone irritated him for some reason. She spoke as if she knew him so well, as if he was the same person she knew from years ago. But he couldn't deny that she _did_ know him, almost too well. He had searched for her three times and willingly called her out _twice_ , now, and that was already more than he could say for Zura and Gintoki. Those two he had unwillingly met time after time, and he had probably seen them so many times only because they kept sticking their noses where they didn't belong, as if somehow sensing it when Takasugi was involved.

Takasugi studied her for a moment, expression unreadable. She was right. He would seek her again.

' _Come with me_ ,' Takasugi thought. But he didn't say the words out loud. Couldn't.

He turned, and walked away.

 _The darkness was the perfect cover. Leaving their horses at the perfect distance, where they wouldn't be seen yet would still remain close enough to reach in case of an emergency, the samurai of Amatsukaze snuck through the darkness. They all wore dark colors, every inch of their exposed pale skin covered with mud. As long as they hid and closed their eyes whenever an enemy sentry passed, they would remain unseen._

 _Tomoe grimaced at the disgusting feeling of mud in her hair, drying and flaking, the heavy material irritating her scalp. The others were lucky to have dark colored hair. For the millionth time, she wondered if she could find a nice black cloak with a hood that could hide her face in its shadow. It would help a lot. She would still layer her face with mud, of course. It would be a precaution that could mean the difference between life and death. But it would also mean she didn't have to wash her hair a few dozen times to get all the grime out._

 _Still, this was the last night. Just a few more hours and they could ride back to where the rest of their army had set up their ambush, and she could get rid of all the dirt, and finally get a decent night's sleep._

 _The girl paused for a moment, listening. She knew her army was still moving through the brush, and allowed herself to smile. She was proud of them. The girl was a born assassin, and always moved with little noise. It just took a little extra training to learn to make no noise at all, even if she was wearing metal pots and pans that would usually clash and make a ruckus with every minute movement. She had tried it before. It was part of her training._

 _But humans were different. Humans, especially samurai, were made for facing off their opponents instead of sneaking up on them, and as a result, made a lot of noise. It had taken a long time and a lot of effort to train them for covert operations like this. At first she could only bring one or two of the fast learners, resulting in only mild disruptions in the enemy camp. But with the samurai putting in a lot of hard work, she could now bring every single one of the hundred members._

 _She felt more than heard or saw the other members move into position. They were right outside the enemy camp, outside the line the sentries patrolled at regular intervals. Once they dashed out, they could be seen at any moment. Any Amanto soldier heading to the latrines was a risk._

 _Her eyes watched carefully for the sentry to pass, the Amanto's lantern swinging, causing the light to flicker over the ground. She held her breath as the dog-like creature passed inches from her face. She smirked as he passed without noticing a thing. She knew enough about tactics to always work downwind of the enemy camp, just in case any of them had a strong sense of smell._

 _Five. Four. Three. Two._ One _._

 _She cupped her hands around her mouth and let out two loud hoots, sounding enough like an owl to raise no suspicion whatsoever from the enemies. Almost as one, the group moved out, shadows flicking around tents and ducking under cover within the enemy camp._

 _Heart thudding in her throat, Tomoe froze for a moment, huddled behind a tent. Five seconds, move. Five seconds, move. In that pattern, the samurai moved silently towards the remaining few supply wagons that they had not yet tampered with._

 _One man lifted the tarp, another three slipped in to open water and wine barrels, slipping slow working yet potent poison in. They drilled holes into the crates of flour and grain, set cages of rats and roaches into the meat. The gunpowder they either soaked or marked, bagging some of the powder they didn't touch to draw a trail to where they could safely set the line alight._

 _The groups worked on different wagons, quickly and silently, leaving two members out to keep watch for anybody approaching. Those who finished first moved out towards safety in the same pause and go pattern they used to enter._

 _Finally, after everyone else had begun moving, Tomoe started towards the safety of brush cover. They wouldn't be able to get a head count until they were back with the horses, and even then, they had to get back to where everyone else was before she could do a proper head count. Before that she could only know if someone was missing if an Entei lacked its rider._

 _Once they passed the patrol line, one samurai nodded to Tomoe, and let out a hoot. Matches sparked, and miniature fireworks burned all the way down the gunpowder trails._

 _The samurai were already on their horses and riding away when the enemy camp burst into flames with a chain of thunderous explosions._


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Holy crap. The italics parts are getting longer and longer. It's suprisingly easy to write about preparing for war. And a lot of fun.

* * *

"So stupid," Tomoe sighed as she bandaged Gintoki's wounds.

"Owowowowow!" Gintoki said, recoiling from her. "Be gentle with your darling older brother."

She paused, shooting him a dull stare, before yanking the bandage even tighter. Gintoki flinched, hissing with pain, but he didn't say anything for fear of provoking her into causing him more pain. Yet… He frowned, studying her for a moment. In spite of her rough treatment of his wounds, she looked almost happy. At peace. He wondered what happened.

"There," she tied the last of the bandages and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, thankfully an uninjured area.

Gintoki's frown deepened.

"What?" She asked, annoyed with his blatant staring.

"Er… No, nothing. You just didn't ask how I got these wounds," Gintoki commented, rubbing the back of his head.

"You were fighting," Tomoe deadpanned.

"Well, duh!" Gintoki rolled his eyes, then glanced sheepishly at her. "You're not gonna ask who?"

Tomoe raised an eyebrow at him, then sighed. It was so obvious that he wanted her to ask. Strange, considering that he usually didn't want her to know and refused to tell her why he got hurt so badly once in a while, but if he wanted her to ask… Tomoe sighed.

Damn it, did he have to give her that puppy dog look?

"Alright, who were you fighting?" Tomoe asked, humoring him.

"Oboro."

The girl froze, hand darting out to grasp is bandaged arm in a vice grip. " _What_?"

"Owowowowow!" Gintoki howled, peeling away from her. "What's with that reaction? I'm injured here!"

Her face, usually so calm, contorted in rage, her eyes beginning to glow red. Gintoki felt cold sweat form on his forehead, felt his legs begin to tremor with fear. He _hated_ seeing Tomoe in Tsukikage mode, and not just because it reminded him of the Joui War. Her eyes usually turned red only when facing enemies, especially those she hated with her whole heart, and they usually died within moments of seeing those crimson orbs glaring at them.

Needless to say, it was _terrifying_ for Gintoki to see those eyes directed at him.

"You… Still hate them," Gintoki said softly, his expression unusually serious. "I thought…"

"Forgive and forget, right?" Tomoe said, grabbing the first aid kit and turning abruptly.

She walked to the bathroom and replaced the kit under the sink where it belonged, keeping her head lowered so Gintoki wouldn't see her reflection in the mirror. But he didn't need to see it to know her eyes were once again filled with sorrow and rage, and hatred as deep as the galaxies.

If he was honest, he would say he was surprised that his little half sister hadn't turned out like Takasugi. Sure, Gintoki and Katsura loathed the Amanto and the bakufu who killed their sensei, but Gintoki would rather go with the flow so he wouldn't lose any more comrades, and Katsura was…

Well, Katsura was an idiot, but then Gintoki could well imagine that all of the Last Generation were idiots. Zura also wanted to destroy the bakufu as a joui, so for the man to turn to passive resistance was strange. Perhaps Gintoki could say that Katsura, like himself, didn't have the capacity to hate that Takasugi did, the long haired man turning more towards grief and moving on with life than despair, hatred, and destruction.

But Tomoe had Amanto blood, and a race of warriors to boot. Hatred and killing was in her blood, a large part of her instincts. For her to turn out like this, ladylike and innocent… Well, it was a surprise, but a pleasant one. As long as nobody dragged her back into the darkness, she could probably live out the rest of her life in peace, with a normal, painless death.

Gintoki knew that for a samurai to die in bed at an old age was considered by many to be a dishonor, a disgrace. Especially in the age of the Amanto, when samurai had to live a life of poverty and suffering, hara-kiri at the end of the war had been preferable to many. Even so, he wanted those he cared about to live a long life and die painlessly, even if he had to sacrifice his own life for that end. It sounded hypocritical, but that was Gintoki's bushido.

Perhaps it was fortunate that he didn't know that, mere hours ago, Takasugi and Tomoe had assassinated the former shogun. Tomoe shot a glance over her shoulder at the silver haired samurai. As she told Takasugi, she had spent the last few months convincing everyone of an illusion. She closed her eyes. She needed to calm down so she didn't break Gintoki's current view of her.

Tomoe inhaled deeply before exhaling, and turned back to Gintoki with a smile. "If you are alive, then I suppose you defeated Oboro. I am glad you did not get yourself killed."

Gintoki grinned, inwardly sighing with relief. "Yeah. I won."

From where they hid behind the closet door, eavesdropping, Kagura and Shinpachi sighed with relief. For a moment there they thought the siblings would get into a fight, and Shinpachi knew better than anyone what happened when a seemingly nice person snapped. After all, he lived with a woman who put on a façade of being a kind and gentle yamato nadeshiko, yet was a completely horrifying gorilla underneath. Tomoe seemed genuine, though, and that just made the prospect of her snapping even worse.

"Come on, idiot. I will treat you to food, since you defeated that man," Tomoe said. "You too, Shinpachi-kun, Kagura-chan."

The two crawled sheepishly out of the closet, Shinpachi rubbing the back of his head. "You knew we were there? I'm sorry. We didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It is all right," Tomoe said with a smile.

Shinpachi thanked the heavens that she was so much nicer than his sister. Otae would probably have smacked him seven ways to next week.

 _It was long after noon, and the group ate a light meal before stretching, preparing themselves for the ambush. Tomoe sighed and completed her stretches, enjoying the last few hours of being clean and well fed and well rested._

 _After caring for their horses—the first rule of Amatsukaze was that the samurai had to care for the Entei before themselves—washing and eating, she and the rest of Amatsukaze had gone to sleep. The others didn't bother the group, having seen and heard the explosion from miles away, and knew the group had once again done their work well._

 _"You ready?" Fourteen year old Takasugi asked, coming up quietly behind the girl._

 _If he was disappointed by the lack of reaction, he didn't show it. She merely turned and smiled at him, and for a moment, he could see the eight year old girl instead of the war hardened samurai._

 _"Of course."_

 _He sat down beside her, armor clinking together. "I hope your explosions and poison killed enough of them."_

 _Tomoe smirked, raising an eyebrow, silently challenging him. "You scared?"_

 _Takasugi scoffed. "You wish."_

 _Tomoe laughed._

 _"We've got the Kiheitai, Amatsukaze, and those two idiots," she gestured to where Katsura and Gintoki stood arguing about something completely pointless. "We're not going to lose to_ anyone _."_

 _Takasugi glanced over at the two armored men, and raised his eyebrow at Tomoe as if to ask, 'you really trust them with your back?' and earned another bout of laughter from the girl. He smiled. It was nice that they could laugh normally in between battles like this._

 _"Shin-chan…"_

 _The teenager reached over and ruffled her hair, ignoring the protests that he was messing it up. She would put it into a braid later anyways. Takasugi frowned, and tugged a lock of light purple hair._

 _"Can I braid it?" He asked before he realized what he was saying. "Never mind."_

 _"Yeah. Go ahead," she said, finding nothing wrong with the request._

 _Takasugi hesitated for a moment. It wasn't manly to sit down braiding a girl's hair. But then again, it wasn't manly to drink a little kid's beverage like yakult either. So he shrugged, sat down beside her, and began to comb through her hair with his fingers._

 _It was soft, but he expected that much anyways. Her hair was always soft, and curled gently, unlike that idiot perm head. And it was a nice color. Made it that much easier to find her in the middle of the battlefield, even though she was so much shorter than everyone else._

 _He worked out all the knots and began to weave her hair into a single braid, making sure there were no stray hairs to get into her eyes in the middle of the fight. It was strangely relaxing. He could see why she sometimes braided and re-braided her hair before a major fight._

 _"Done," he finally said, and tied up the end._

 _"Thanks."_

 _They shared a small smile before Takasugi stiffened, the smile fading as a scout ran back, panting and sweating. Tomoe glanced over her shoulder, and her smile vanished as well, the girl rising to her feet._

 _"Tomoe-hime, Takasugi-dono," the scout greeted._

 _Tomoe would have pouted at the honorific she had told the men hundreds of times not to use, but this wasn't the time. She simply waited for the man to regain his breath before asking for his report. By then Gintoki and Katsura had realized something was happening, and had joined the two._

 _"The Amanto are half an hour away. They moved faster than expected, and they're only speeding up," the scout reported._

 _"Damn it," Takasugi cursed. "Why didn't anybody report earlier?"_

 _The scout's eyes only shifted nervously._

 _"Doesn't matter now," Tomoe said curtly, before turning to shout to the army. "We move out._ NOW! _"_

 _"Momo," Takasugi said, using his nickname for the girl. She glanced over at him. He hesitated. "Be careful."_

 _She gave him a tight smile and nodded. "You too."_


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Lol. The moment when you switch to writing another story and type the wrong OC name, and go back to make sure you didn't do it before...

Reviews for the story died off T.T

* * *

Shinpachi looked at the sheer amount of food on their table in shock. At this rate their table alone could consume all the food stock in the restaurant. It was impossible for normal people to eat so much, yet they had a Yato and a sugar glutton. He had no doubt that the two could finish every last crumb, and it still might not even be enough to satisfy them.

"Erm… Are you sure you want to pay for all _this_?" Shinpachi asked, glancing uncertainly at Tomoe.

"Why not? You did a lot of work, right?" Tomoe asked.

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then go ahead and eat. Do not worry about the cost. I can afford to pay off your rent, then I can also afford a small meal," Tomoe replied sagely.

"…Small," Shinpachi said flatly, eyeing the giant pile of food—His eyes bulged. "It's all gone?!"

"Seconds!" Kagura called out to the waiter.

The man's brow twitched. Maybe he could ask for a raise after this…

The waiter simply bowed and headed to the kitchen, to inform the frantic chefs that table three still needed more food, and since the table was _already_ nearly cleared, the chefs had better hurry up. The head chef nearly tore his hat off and quit then and there. The kitchen barely had time to keep up with table three's demands, not to mention all the other customers.

The restaurant owner could only stare, dazed, his mind torn between all the money that would flow in from that meal and serving other guests. Perhaps he should put up the 'closed' sign just in case table three finished all the food in the restaurant, leaving nothing for everyone else.

"Kagura-chan, you shouldn't eat so much when somebody's treating you," Shinpachi reprimanded.

"Why, aru? Gin-chan says if the food is free or somebody else is paying then you should eat as much as you can," Kagura replied, staring innocently at the boy.

Shinpachi slapped his forehead. What kind of manners was the silver haired samurai teaching the girl? If Shinpachi wasn't around, Gintoki would probably turn the girl into a lazy slob, not that she wasn't well on her way to becoming a second Gintoki. Shinpachi could only hope that the good influence around her—namely Shinpachi and Tomoe—could turn Kagura back into a respectable young lady. But realistically, the chances of that happening? Very low.

"Don't listen to Gin-san," Shinpachi sighed, then turned to Tomoe. "I'm sorry about them. At least let us help pay…"

"Patsuan, we don't have any money," Gintoki drawled.

Shinpachi stared at him, mortified. He really shouldn't have been surprised, he would think later. Gintoki _never_ had any money, yet somehow could always afford that week's Jump and strawberry milk.

Thankfully, Tomoe simply laughed it off. Shinpachi had no idea how the girl had this much money if she wasn't a… a… He turned beet red at the word, trying to find another way to complete the sentence without sounding like some kind of pervert. He quickly shook his head to redirect his line of thought. Perhaps she would share her secret for making money. Shinpachi knew for sure that Gintoki would be too lazy—and too kind, sometimes—to do whatever it was that the girl did, but Shinpachi was willing to work, and work hard.

"Umm, Tomoe-san, if you don't mind me asking," Shinpachi began shyly. "How do you make so much money? I-I mean you don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's pretty rude of me to ask in the first place. I just thought maybe I could… I mean… I mean… I'm sorry!"

"It is fine, Shinpachi-kun," Tomoe said with a small smile. "As a matter of fact, I own a bar. I opened it a few years ago, and it is quite popular."

Shinpachi's eyes widened in realization. "So you don't just work at Kazabana, but you own it!"

"That is correct."

"I see…" he said, feeling a little dull.

There was no way he had the money to start his own business. Not to mention that he was too young, and too inexperienced in the business world. No doubt he would go broke within a year, and the yakuza would seek him to repay whatever debt he had somehow unknowingly accumulated. And when he couldn't pay them they would start to sell drugs in his establishment, the Shinsengumi would find out and arrest him, and he would spend the rest of his life in jail being bullied by _real_ criminals. He shuddered at the thought.

Tomoe raised an eyebrow, amused. It was obvious he was thinking negatively about his chances of doing the same. But she had to agree. It was difficult creating and managing a business. The profits from the bar itself, even the little extra money the waitresses paid as rent for a night of using the rooms when they wanted to play around with a man, did not amount to much. She had bought the store space, but supplies cost a lot, and she had to pay wages as well.

If the bar wasn't a cover for their assassination business, it would have closed years ago.

Tomoe began to eat, taking dainty bites. Assassination paid very well, and the leaders of the underworld knew enough about Tsukikage that they never dared bother her establishment, or anywhere within a five hundred meter radius. Not to mention that all the people who knew about her would only provide contact information to those who need an assassin and could keep their mouths shut. Everyone knew the consequences otherwise.

"Do you dislike working at the Yorozuya?" Tomoe asked, drawing Shinpachi out of his cloud of gloom.

"E-eh? Of course not! I mean Gin-san is lazy and good for nothing most of the time, but—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult your brother!" Shinpachi shouted, leaping to his feet to bow to the girl.

"No, I understand. I agree completely," Tomoe said.

Shinpachi beamed at her. It was nice having a girl around who wasn't violent, or secretly some kind of monster. One who wasn't lazy, didn't randomly hit people, didn't pick her nose and rub it on someone else, didn't eat like a starving hippo…

Maybe he spoke too soon.

He watched her eyes light up when a gigantic chocolate cake arrived, and his stomach already felt queasy at how visibly rich and sweet it seemed. Gintoki didn't pay it any attention, considering that he was already working on his strawberry cream cake. That left Tomoe to happily consume the cake _alone_.

Shinpachi felt his appetite leave, his face turning green. How could someone eat that much sugar and fat? It was big enough to be a wedding cake. If she ate like this more than once a year, there was no doubt that Tomoe would gain so much weight that she wouldn't fit through the door.

Yet Tomoe didn't seem to mind.

Did she ever mention that fighting and killing people burned a lot of calories? Well, it did. That was how shinobi and samurai always stayed so lean even if they ate a mountain of junk food every day, as long as they remained on active duty. And it was almost surprising how many jobs Tomoe got. One would think assassins were not necessary, but the world only looked peaceful on the outside. There were at least three to seven people making assassination requests each night, and on top of turning the girl—and all the other assassins at Kazabana—into a millionaire, it kept her fit. She was glad for it. Otherwise, like most other females who seemed to be on a permanent diet, she would never be able to eat everything she wanted.

"I'm full…" Gintoki said with a loud burp.

Shinpachi glanced over to note that he, like Tomoe, had eaten nothing but desserts. He sighed. Like brother like sister, perhaps. The two seemed to share the same sweet tooth.

"That was a good meal, aru. It's the first time I've been full since working for Gin-chan," Kagura added with a wide smile. "Thank you, ane-san!"

Well, Shinpachi thought. At least Kagura had the manners to say 'thank you.'

 _"It's Tsukikage!" An Amanto screamed the warning._

 _Tomoe raised an eyebrow. Tsukikage? What in the world was that? As far as she knew, the samurai were just known as 'samurai'—or 'idiots,' 'filthy humans,' 'trash,' and 'f-ing joui' if you want child friendly terms—and not 'Tsukikage'. She didn't know of any group called the Tsukikage either. There was just the Kiheitai and Amatsukaze._

 _"Ne, who are they talking about?" She turned to ask Fujiwara, one of the Amatsukaze hundred._

 _His eye twitched. He should have known she was clueless. For someone so good at strategies and destroying opponents, she was a child sometimes. "You."_

 _"EH?" She half shouted, drawing the attention from the other members. "Why? How?"_

 _"Can you blame them?" Sawamura asked, lips quirking. "Your hair and skin are pale like the moon and yet you move like a shadow."_

 _She stared at him as if he had grown another head. "Meh."_

 _"Ahahaha… You don't care."_

 _Tomoe sighed. "I prefer a cool name. That one's so…_ girly _."_

 _"If you haven't noticed, you_ are _a girl," Fujiwara deadpanned. "Besides, it is cool. I'd like a nickname like that."_

 _"You don't stand a chance," Sawamura snickered._

 _"Oi. We're in the middle of a fight here," Takasugi called out from the cliff, raising his eyebrows at the riders flying past the Kiheitai._

 _Tomoe only stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. Takasugi rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to their attack, the Kiheitai raining poisoned arrows down at the Amanto army._

 _The enemies were having a nasty time. With the explosions and poison from a few nights ago, many had gotten severely ill, severely injured, or simply dead. As if that wasn't enough, the remainder of the army had to go on the offensive, only to walk straight into a trap. After the Amatsukaze had cut a swathe through their front lines, they had taken off and left the remaining Amanto to Gintoki and Zura's troops. Mere moments later the Kiheitai had begun their assault from above, and while the Entei flew the Amatsukaze to the back so they could close in the Amanto troops, the Entei shot beams of lightning to add to the destruction and chaos. All in all, the Amanto already knew they were losing. It was terrible luck for them to go up against the Last Generation, with Takasugi Shinsuke and the Kiheitai, Tsukikage and the Amatsukaze, and Shiroyasha and Katsura Koutarou._

 _They really shouldn't have underestimated the humans._


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you for following/favoriting, cwang428, goyitaaz.

* * *

Tomoe landed softly next to the bed, looking impassively down at the sleeping figure. She had half a mind to simply slit his throat while he was asleep, but ever since she dismembered the former shogun and Gintoki told her he fought Oboro, she felt her sadistic streak grow.

It didn't hurt that this man actually _deserved_ to die.

So she shoved a ball of cloth—was that his dirty _sock_?!—into his mouth. Either the rough action or the taste woke him up. His eyes looked dazed with sleep for a moment before he caught sight of her. He blinked once, frowning at the strange figure, before his eyes widened. He snapped to full alertness, his eyes widening. Tomoe couldn't help but feel a little amused as the man scrambled back and fell off the bed with a loud 'thump'.

Only then did he realize he had a disgusting sock in his mouth that tasted salty and sour with a hint of bitterness. He gagged and dry heaved, but Tomoe didn't give him time to take it out of his mouth and scream for the guards. She only gave him a half smirk.

"Do you know why you will die tonight?" She asked softly, walking around his bed, eyes trained on him.

He knew. His eyes grew wider, and the man looked increasingly panicked by the second. His eyes shifted in every direction in a vain attempt to find a weapon. It wasn't a useless move. Against a normal assassin, if he had not been asleep in the first place then a weapon might have done some good. But he was up against _Tsukikage_ of all people, and it no longer mattered if he had a gun, sword, or a fluffy slipper. Nothing would save him.

He was reaching for his lamp when her sword slashed through his throat, and he died of blood loss within seconds. Any good assassin made sure of their target's death, of course. She had seen too many who took their kill for granted and ended up staring their target in the face as they took their revenge. Tomoe placed two gloved fingers against his chest, and feeling no heartbeat, silently leapt out of the window and faded into the shadows.

As she walked, she removed her unstained gloves and shoved them into the pocket of her cloak and hood, before taking that off as well and wrapping her sword in it. She would go back to Kazabana to store the things in hiding once again, where Raitei could guard them and bring them to her if necessary. He was a really good horse, and loyal to the end.

It was good that she did.

The moment her sword disappeared into the bundle of cloth, revealing her normal short kimono, she heard voices. And familiar ones at that. Tomoe frowned, wondering if she should take a longer route to avoid them. Under normal circumstances she would walk right through, but after a job… Most of them were idiots, but there were some observant members. If she had a stray drop of blood on her that she hadn't noticed, or if they got curious about her cloak and the suspicious thing she was hiding underneath…

"The hell! What do you mean you missed?! You were aiming for me, right? Stop trying to kill me, you little shit!" Hijikata's voice screeched.

… Or they could just be idiots. Tomoe sighed and started walking towards the Shinsengumi, confident that she could talk herself out of any mess they got her into. Worst case scenario, she could slaughter them all and take the next ship into space, and hopefully find Shin-chan somewhere.

"Good evening, Hijikata-san, Kondo-san, Okita-san," Tomoe bowed politely to the three she recognized, completely ignoring the attempts at catching the Amanto criminal waving a giant weapon.

"T-tomoe-cha… Erm… san!" Kondo greeted with a large smile before he returned the bow.

"Oi, civilian! Get out of here. It's dangerous," Hijikata barked gruffly.

"I am confident that the Shinsengumi can handle a mere Amanto," Tomoe replied with a gentle smile. "You will protect me, will you not, Hijikata-san?"

Hijikata's eyes widened, caught for a moment, before he retorted, "We can handle it. But you'd better leave so you don't have to be protected or accidentally get hurt."

"I thank you for your concern," Tomoe said, but made no move to leave. Rather, she remained next to Kondo.

If she was honest, it didn't look like they were handling it. Shinsengumi members were being thrown left and right, creating grooves in the ground as friction brought their sliding and tumbling bodies to a halt. Many already lay groaning with more than a few broken bones, their swords broken beside them. Tomoe almost sighed at the blatant mistreatment of their blades. What happened to a sword being a samurai's soul?

Were it possible, she would have slain the Amanto in one blow. But the Shinsengumi were already there, and if she wanted to keep up her act, what she desperately wanted to do was not possible. It didn't help that the Shinsengumi were behaving like a group of rookie country hicks instead of fearsome samurai, and that the captains—all between a dozen to a hundred times more powerful than the cannon fodder they were throwing at the Amanto—were all eating popcorn and watching the show.

Oh wait. That was only Sougo.

Still, the rest of the captains were watching instead of engaging. Tomoe couldn't help but sigh this time. How lazy. If all the captains got to work, even if only Sougo engaged, she had no doubt the Amanto would be dead. Yet they somehow seemed intent on not killing the alien. That was the trouble with being a part of the law. The Shinsengumi couldn't randomly kill people, no matter how often they randomly destroyed both public and private property.

She could only wonder at the bills and fees they had to pay. She felt a little pity for the treasurer. The man must be screaming all the time that they had no money, so Sougo and Hijikata should stop destroying things. After all, those two incurred the most damages.

"What are you doing here so late? Do you need an escort home?" Kondo asked, concerned.

"Ah, I just walked one of the girls home. As you can see, the streets of Edo are dangerous at night," Tomoe said.

"Tch. What's the point of a girl walking another girl home? Just excites the perverts more," Hijikata huffed.

"My, my, Hijikata-san. I didn't know you had those kinds of interests," Sougo mocked, face cruelly dark.

"I don't! Stop twisting my words!" Hijikata snapped.

"No… Toushi, it really sounded that way," Kondo deadpanned.

"Kondo-san too?!"

"I understand," Tomoe said with a small smile, and Hijikata opened his mouth to retort, but Tomoe continued, "The more females there are, the more sexual predators could have their… fun. They travel in groups, after all. As a policeman, you must have seen many cases of such vile men. You are just worried, are you not? You are a kind man, Hijikata-san."

That reduced him to a blushing, stammering mess. Damn. Apart from Mitsuba, he had not spoken to any yamato nadeshiko types. He really didn't know how to deal with that type. They made him want to protect them, yet at the same time distance himself from them so they would not become tainted by his world. Thankfully, all the women he ever associated with were inwardly crude, disgusting creatures that should belong in a zoo. That Yorozuya brat and Otae were amongst the worst. If he could put them into a zoo, and dump Sougo in with them for good measure, his life would be perfect.

 _"_ _Get back!" Tomoe roared._

 _Sawamura only had time to blink before he almost fell of his horse. The Entei obeyed the girl's orders, considering that she was riding on their leader, and within seconds all members of Amatsukaze were in formation again with Tomoe and Raitei at their head._

 _They weren't stupid enough to form lines like a few samurai groups, of course. Those idiots got killed too easily. Instead, they had each other's backs and sides with a shape that pointed their blades in every direction, even if it could not accurately be called a circle._

 _"_ _Oi, hime, what—" Fujiwara called out, irritated. He had literally been jolted out of his saddle, and would have fallen off if his horse hadn't shifted just so he would stay on._

 _The battle was almost over. For the girl to call out like that was unusual in such a moment, when they should have been rushing in to finish off the remaining Amanto. Yet, Raitei danced uneasily beneath her, and a furious scowl sat on her face. And the grumbles silenced immediately, an edgy tension hung in the air. The Amatsukaze hundred shared concerned glances. There was something going on, and their leader did not like it._

 _Tomoe narrowed her eyes at the fray, trying to see the source of what had sent the alarm bells in her head blaring like that. Was it the strangely calm behavior of the Amanto about to meet their deaths? Was it the movements that seemed too practiced, the sneers on their faces?_

 _And then she saw it._

 _"_ _Up, damn it!" She screamed._

 _Immediately all the horses burst into the air, their feet treading air as the galloped into the sky. From there Tomoe barked orders at the samurai still engaging with the enemy. Takasugi narrowed his eyes at her, but barked orders to the Kiheitai to retreat; Gintoki and Katsura did the same before they turned tail and ran for cover. They had no idea what was going on, but they trusted Tomoe's instincts. She watched anxiously as the samurai fought their way into a retreat, but they were moving_ too slowly _._

 _"_ _Raitei," she said, voice tight._

 _The horse attacked. The ball of lightning that formed in his mouth shot down to burn a few Amanto to a crisp, allowing a few groups of samurai to retreat to cover. But not enough. Still, there was no time left, and she cursed, letting a shout of despair as the Amanto, for the first time, mimicked the samurai in a suicide attack._

 _The area exploded, the heat and flames blasting across the ground between the cliffs, bringing Amanto and samurai alike to hell._

 _Amongst those who had not reached cover in time, there were no survivors._


	24. Chapter 24

Tomoe cocked her head. "I do believe your subordinates require more training. And of course, the bills for the blacksmith will be quite high after tonight."

Hijikata stared at her in confusion for a moment before he realized what she was talking about. And he started swearing, an expression of utter rage and frustration on his face. The Shinsengumi funds were low. As in they could all go down to the bottom layers of hell, and still not find a single yen left to use. Translation: the members with broken swords won't be getting new ones until the next time the shogun deemed them worthy to receive a budget, rather than directly putting the money to fixing what they destroyed.

"Oi, Sougo! Hurry up and defeat that thing," Hijikata snarled.

"Hijikata-san, I'm not going to ruin my sword just for some stupid Amanto. Ah, the stupid part is literal," Okita drawled, before replacing the ear buds and tuning out Hijikata's screeching.

"Yamaza—never mind. You wouldn't be able to defeat that thing," Hijikata mumbled as his eyes looked around for anyone else who could actually manage that Amanto.

"Hijikata-san, I happen to be good with animals. Do you mind if I try?" Tomoe suggested.

"Hah? You're a civilian—Oi!" Hijikata shouted.

The girl had ignored him to walk towards the bull Amanto.

"Kondo-san! Why didn't you stop her?!" Hijikata screamed.

"O-oh. She just seemed really confident…" Kondo said, staring blankly at his vice commander.

Hijikata sighed, swearing that he would need to smoke an entire pack before he went to get a drink. Or ten. Keeping a hand on his sword, he followed behind the girl, keeping enough of a distance to avoid interfering with her, but staying close enough to protect her and cut down the Amanto when necessary. He just couldn't bring himself to think 'if', because he was sure that she would fail, and he would have to make his move before she became bull horn kebab.

The standing Shinsengumi members backed away, eyes glinting with hope. They were bruised and cut all over, and utterly exhausted. If anybody could stop that bull, even if it was a civilian girl several years younger than them, they would take the chance.

So much for protecting civilians.

Tomoe stopped a few steps away from the bull, the Amanto still swinging its head in large, rough arcs. Its long, sharp horns flashed through the air, preparing to cut through anything that got in its way, and its razor sharp hooves lashed out to lavish major injuries on anybody that got within range. Anybody who looked at the Amanto would conclude that it was dangerous, and that they shouldn't get too close. And Tomoe, of course, was smart enough to remain just out of range. She just stared up at the bull's eyes.

Finally noticing that nobody was anywhere near, the bull paused, chest and nostrils heaving as it gulped in oxygen. Its gaze lowered to meet hers, and it frowned, letting out a roar that sent several Shinsengumi lackeys scurrying backwards. Tomoe didn't move a step.

"Hijikata-san," Tomoe said. "Please move back."

"Hah?!"

"Please," she repeated, not once taking her eyes from the bull.

Reluctantly, he backed away one step, then another. When she deemed that he was out of earshot, she allowed her eyes to turn red, allowed her bloodlust to flow out, careful to only affect a certain radius. The bull froze, eyes widening as it stared down at the girl.

She reached up. Sougo took his ear buds out and watched curiously. Hijikata tensed. The bull Amanto didn't move. Her hand landed on its horn, and her fingers curled around it in a death grip. The bull's eyes widened further in terror as it looked into cruel crimson eyes, and it bellowed again, thrashing in a desperate attempt to escape.

" _Stop_ ," Tomoe said, and the bull once again froze. " _Get lost. Next time you rampage, if I find you, I will kill you_."

The bull let out an uncharacteristic whimper, and pretended to be a statue. Slowly, Tomoe let go of its horn, and her eyes returned to their normal pale purple. The bull remained completely still, its eyes following her every movement. And the moment she half turned, the bull turned with a speed befitting a diving peregrine falcon, and charged out of the area. Within seconds, it had disappeared into the night, swearing never to return to Earth again.

It never noticed that in between the transition between rage and terror, it had completely forgotten that it could speak the human tongue.

"Wha—How?" Hijikata gaped.

Tomoe glanced at him with a small smile. "As I said, I am good with animals."

"How does that explain anything?!"

"Do you know Sadaharu? Kagura-chan's dog," Tomoe said. "He has never bitten me."

Hijikata opened his mouth, thought for a moment, then shut it. "Well, that makes sense, then."

"No it doesn't," Sougo muttered under his breath.

Hearing the words, Tomoe glanced at the boy, smiled, and shrugged. He stared suspiciously back at her. In contrast to his personality, Sougo was actually very sensitive to things normal humans would not sense. And while she had dealt with the bull, Sougo had felt something really familiar for a moment. He frowned, trying to place the feeling. It had disappeared after mere seconds, but it had been enough to send chills up his spine. And suddenly he remembered. It was like _bloodlust_. The bloodlust could have belonged to the bull, of course, but he highly doubted it. The question was, did Tomoe know she hated animals, enough to want to kill them? Or did she deliberately leak bloodlust?

No, Sougo decided. She was too pure and innocent, and didn't look like the type of person who could kill. That no good brother of hers was her exact opposite, and if she had ever slain someone, he would be surprised. He also conveniently ignored the fact that he looked like a cute and innocent boy as well, but in reality was a sadistic, merciless killer.

"Well, I will be returning home now. Have a good night, Hijikata-san, everyone," Tomoe bowed slightly, and walked away.

She should probably have avoided the Shinsengumi, she thought as she walked. She had seen the suspicion in Okita's eyes, even if everyone else didn't notice a single thing. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to care too much. She had worked for the past few months to pull the wool over their eyes, but as more time passed, she felt herself becoming impatient.

It didn't make sense. She had settled down for years, had built up her assassination business and network for years. So why did she start to feel edgy now? Why did her bloodlust increase in the few months since the thirteenth shogun died? Was it because Takasugi had suddenly butted back into her life, and infected her with his urge to destroy?

But she didn't want to destroy _everything_ the way he did. She merely desired the painful deaths of everyone involved in Shouyou sensei's death, and that included all the Amanto that participated in the war.

Her footsteps faltered before she came to a full stop, and she looked up to find that her feet had brought her to a very familiar place. Tomoe's eyes widened. A gust wind blew, whipping her hair in every direction, as if her comrades were greeting her.

This was Tsukikage's field, and anybody who desecrated it would die a horrible death. That was the rumor of the field. And while most people avoided the place, there had been a few brave and stupid ones. Enough people had died over the years to discourage anybody else from entering. There was no grave marker, nothing to tell people that ninety nine samurai and ninety nine Amanto were buried in this clearing. Nothing except the rumors that prevented people from going anywhere near this place, and the sakura tree that stood in the middle.

 _When the heat died down, the samurai emerged cautiously from their hiding places. But there was nothing left to be afraid of. All the remaining Amanto had incinerated themselves with their bomb, bringing around a dozen or so samurai with them. Considering that this was supposed to be a major battle in the war against Amanto, the samurai were lucky to have incurred so few losses._

 _Total fifty four dead._

 _And there were no bodies to bury._

 _The army would celebrate later, as they always did. This time, though, they knew their celebration would be much bigger, considering that they had just won a major battle. And those who had lost friends or family would drink a little too much, party a little too hard, both to hide their grief and to make up for their comrades' share. But first they had to do the dirty work._

 _"_ _Who is missing?" Tomoe asked the survivors._

 _For a moment, it was silent as the samurai glanced around for their friends, and they shouted out the names of those they didn't see. If their friends were alive they would call out. Those who didn't answer…_

 _Beside her, Sawamura jotted down the names quickly. Even if they didn't have the bodies, they could still have a funeral and grave, could still inform the families of the deceased, so they wouldn't have to wait for someone who would never return. War was a cruel thing._

 _When the count was done, it didn't take a genius to see that no members of the Kiheitai and Amatsukaze were dead. The samurai were getting used to that pattern. Out of their entire army, the Amatsukaze had never incurred any losses, and the Kiheitai came in at a close second, only having lost four members since they were formed._

 _That said a lot about having an organized, well trained unit loyal to a single leader. They all protected each other, and it paid off. Yet, none of the free moving samurai wanted to join either group. They had tried to form their own units, but failed completely. So they remained under the leadership of Gintoki and Katsura, and fought the way they wanted._

 _"_ _Fifty four," Katsura sighed._

 _"_ _This is war. They knew they could die from the beginning," Takasugi said, moving to stand next to Tomoe._

 _"_ _True," the girl nodded, a little saddened, but unable to truly grieve for the people she never knew. "Come on. Let's make a grave."_


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Is it just me? Or is the story heading towards 'depressing'?

* * *

A warmth made its way beside her, and her hand reached up to caress Raitei's cheek. Raitei guarded this field most of the time, the location only a short distance away from Kazabana at the edge of Kabukicho. But Tomoe herself almost never came, instead asking Raitei to meet her at Kazabana for her weapons whenever she needed to do a job.

 _"Yo, hime_!"

" _Long time no see."_

 _"Oi, oi. Come visit us once in a while, won't ya?"_

 _Hime… Hime… Hime… Tomoe-hime…_

Hot tears sprung to her eyes. Tomoe bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep the tears from spilling over. Even after so many years, she could still hear their voices calling her name. Yet, no matter how much she wanted them to, not once did the voices blame her for their deaths, for staying alive for so many years while all of them died that day.

She had told Takasugi that she stayed in Edo for Kazabana and everyone in it, to watch the Tendoushuu, and to stay near everyone she wanted to destroy. But that was a lie, and she had the feeling that no matter how many excuses she made, Takasugi knew that as well as she did.

She stayed for this field. For the comrades that left her behind as they ventured into the land of the dead.

Because she was supposed to die here that day, she had vowed to die here when her time came. At the very least, she wanted to be buried here with everyone else. It was already written in her will. Her weapons and two thirds of her money would go to Takasugi, since his goals were the most similar to hers. Most of the rest would be for Gintoki, and the remaining for Katsura. Kazabana would belong to her second in command, and Raitei… Well, if Raitei didn't die by her side like all the other Entei did for their riders, Raitei would be free.

After all, it wasn't like Earth's laws allowed an Amanto horse to own anything.

She sighed and leaned her entire weight against her partner, the horse barely noticing the extra weight. If she stared for long enough, she could almost see the Amatsukaze laughing and drinking in the field, their ghosts as rowdy and cheerful as their living selves. And just once a year, she would see that battle again, re enacting before her eyes.

Raitei whickered, turning to nuzzle her hair. He missed his herd just as much as she missed hers. It was hard to believe that he was the last one standing, as he had always thought he would die before everyone else, sacrificing his life for theirs. Yet it was the very opposite. The Amatsukaze, both the Entei and humans, had given their lives so their leaders would live. Raitei swore that day it would never happen again. He would die at his mistress' side.

"It's been too long," Tomoe said. "You probably know this already, but we're another step closer to avenging you. Sada Sada is dead too. Out of our main targets, only the Tendoushuu and Naraku are left."

" _Maa, maa. Don't fret about stuff like that. You'll get wrinkles, hime."_

 _"Haha! She'll never get wrinkles. She'll get cavities before that!"_

 _"No! Hime has to brush her teeth all the time!"_

 _"I don't want to hear that from the man who never brushed his teeth—Ow! Mana, you're_ my _Entei! Don't defend that guy!"_

Tomoe laughed breathily, the smile never reaching her eyes. Raitei snorted. Perhaps she wasn't seeing things, wasn't just imagining her friends. Raitei seemed to see them too. And if they really were ghosts living in the field… Tomoe's expression darkened. There was only one possible reason. She had to hurry up and avenge them, so they could move on.

"Raitei, do you think…" Tomoe hesitated, frowning. "The two of us have only been able to kill the lower officers in the Amanto army. But Shin-chan…"

Raitei's eyes stared into her soul, the horse completely still. He had an idea regarding the question she would ask, but he truly did not know the answer. He didn't want to leave his herd behind either, because the field would be destroyed if they both left. Yet, he refused to let his mistress leave on her own. There were other options, of course, but that would be up to her.

"Do you think we could reach our goal faster if we worked with Shin-chan?" Tomoe finally asked.

After a long silence, Tomoe sighed. It was clear that Raitei wouldn't answer, and the ghosts of the Amatsukaze had disappeared before their eyes. And no matter how much she squinted or blurred her vision, the image of her comrades never returned. So they would not show themselves to her anymore tonight? She sighed again. It seemed that nobody would make that decision for her.

Should she leave? If she did, the world would move on. She had already secured Kazabana's position as an untouchable place to the underworld, and as a normal establishment with no shady business to the Shinsengumi. They had enough business flowing in to keep it running under her second in command, and all the staff had enough training to take over the assassinations. In fact, they already did a little more than half of the assassination jobs, and if they just pushed a little, they could do the rest as well.

And they knew about the field, they knew it was important to her. If she left instructions for them to take care of it, they would. They were almost as loyal as the Amatsukaze had been.

As for Gintoki, his debts were all paid off. She was sure he would accumulate more as time passed, but she was also quite sure that his friends would always help him if he needed them. They would gripe and complain and threaten to throw him away like two year old yogurt, but they would stick by his side.

So what was keeping her on Earth? Sentiments? They were useless on the path she was walking. True, they led her onto this path, but she had to throw them away if she wanted to reach the end of the road. Family? She was good at lying. Too good. She just had to say she was leaving for a while, or going back to the countryside, and Gintoki would believe her. Money? Not a problem. If she needed any extra, her infamy as an assassin would bring her work no matter where she was in the universe. The Tendoushuu would hire her, and the bakufu would call for her. And if there were any assassinations impossible for Kazabana, they would locate her. She could still make money, as she was sure Takasugi received the Kiheitai's source of income on Earth as well.

"Take care of this for me, alright?" Tomoe said, and handed her cloak and sword to Raitei.

The horse nodded, and she carefully placed the weapon on the ground next to her naginata, and backed away. With one last look over the field and one last pat at Raitei's shoulder, she turned and returned to the Yorozuya.

Surprisingly, or rather, not quite surprisingly, the lights were still on. Because of the previous week's events, Gintoki had missed reading that volume of Jump, and it was a double volume to boot. He was probably up reading all night until his eyes turned red and fuzzy, drinking strawberry milk until his breath turned sour. She shook her head at her older brother and walked in.

"Tadaima," she said, and removed her geta before padding in.

"Ah. You're back… Why are you covered in blood?"

"I killed someone."

"Oh. Okay."

"Gintoki, drink this. You need to rinse your mouth out," Tomoe said, handing him a cup.

"What, is Gin-chan a vampire? Does Gin-chan look like he grew fangs and became allergic to sunlight? Because I don't see a coffin anywhere, and I don't feel the sudden urge to drink blood," Gintoki drawled.

Tomoe raised her eyebrow at him. He had dark bags under his eyes, and the whites of his eyes were no longer white. They were so bloodshot that there was no longer any difference between the color of his eyes and the whites.

"This is water."

"Why is it red?"

"It isn't. And I'm not covered in blood."

"Oh." He rubbed his eyes, frowned, then rubbed again. "Oh. You're not."

"Go to sleep, idiot."

He nodded obediently, put his Jump down, and headed towards his room. But then realizing something, with his reaction coming way too late, he paused and turned back to frown at Tomoe.

"You don't look happy," Gintoki said. "Something wrong?"

For a moment, she was startled at his perception, but she sighed. "Gintoki, if I told you I was leaving Edo, what would you say?"

"Dunno. Probably good luck, and stay out of trouble. And come back to visit once in a while," he said, then hesitated. "Are you leaving?"

"Honestly? I have no idea."

 _"Kanpai!" The Last Generation cheered._

 _The bonfire blazed against the night sky, sending smoke billowing into the air. The fire was almost too hot, almost reminding them of the explosion that robbed them of a dozen friends, but the night was cold enough for them to disregard the heat. And the alcohol was plentiful enough for them to forget the day._

 _It didn't take too long for the samurai to find sake. The Amanto did not go into the countryside, preferring to stay in the cities they were already building in the areas they conquered. Well, it wasn't strange, since the shogun had given them permission to settle, had opened Edo to them. Only the samurai continued to fight, even as they were barraged by both the shogun's pet warriors and the fearsome Amanto armies. They were at a disadvantage, fighting a losing war. Yet, they continued to fight, to defend their home and their way of life._

 _Still, for just one night, with all the sake they had they could forget that they could not possibly win._

 _Everyone was celebrating in groups. As usual Shouyou's students got together, and the Kiheitai and Amatsukaze members wove amongst each other, once in a while including their leaders in their partying. The only thing was, all the adults drank sake, and the Last Generation… well, didn't._

 _Gintoki, of course, had his strawberry milk. Katsura drank rice juice, of all things, and Takasugi drank yakult. Tomoe didn't drink anything. She nibbled on milk pocky. Takasugi was sure all her teeth would rot out before thirty. It was just a race to see if she would have a mouth full of cavities first, or if Gintoki would win. Or lose, depending on your viewpoint._


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: JustShaunti, m00nbunnie, sasha1004thank you for adding the story to follow/faves!

* * *

Tomoe blinked once, then once again. She frowned, cocking her head slightly as she observed the man. He looked extremely familiar, and she knew for a fact that she had seen him somewhere. However, the name never came to mind. Perhaps they weren't introduced?

"Oi, Tomoe. Hurry up," Gintoki drawled.

"You go ahead. I will return later," Tomoe replied.

Gintoki raised a curious eyebrow at her. It was rare that she would reply so distractedly. He glanced around, looking for what could have drawn her attention, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Kids playing around, adults walking, flowers, grass, trees, madao in sunglasses, man in sunglasses with headphones and an instrument… Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary.

So Gintoki shrugged and kept walking, leaving the girl behind.

She walked over, ready to fight or flee at any time. She already knew he wasn't a normal person, because otherwise she would not remember him. Yet, she knew he wasn't as dangerous as she was, otherwise she would remember him more clearly. She stopped in front of the bench, her shadow falling over the man.

"Good afternoon," Tomoe said politely.

The man's head tilted up, and Tomoe deduced that he was looking at her from behind his sunglasses. His expression was blank for a moment, with a hard edge to his mouth, before his brows rose slightly in recognition, and he relaxed.

"Tsukihime-dono. Good afternoon," he replied.

Immediately she realized how she had met him. There were only certain people who only knew her as Tsukihime. The customers at Kazabana, and the Kiheitai, minus Kamui.

"I do not think Shin-chan ever introduced us," Tomoe said. "May I ask your name?"

"Takasugi is a little rude that way. I am Kawakami Bansai, de gozaru," the musician slash assassin said. He paused for a moment, and added, "An assassin of the Kiheitai."

"Nice to meet you. Sakata Tomoe, former leader of the Amatsukaze and currently an assassin," Tomoe replied.

Strange conversation to have on a sunny day, in the middle of a park. Dangerous, in fact. If anybody heard, the two would either be sent to the police station in handcuffs, or to a mental asylum. Of course, that was only if somebody recognized Bansai. For somebody with a large instrument on his back and a style that stood out, it was surprisingly easy for eyes to slide off him. The assassin side of Tomoe was a little jealous—she was too noticeable when she wasn't fighting or doing a job, and that meant she had to be good at acting. Thankfully, she _was_ a good actress, and didn't inherit the idiocy that Gintoki did.

"Sakata… Are you, by any chance, related to…"

"Sakata Gintoki, the idiot with a silver perm? Yes. I am his half sister," Tomoe replied.

"I see…" Bansai seemed to hesitate. The two stared at each other in complete silence for a long moment as Bansai recalled the girl's fight against Kamui, and the inhuman way she moved, fought. "This may seem like a rude question, but are you human?"

"No."

He blinked, taken aback by the ease with which she answered the question. But that explained everything—how she knew Takasugi so well, how she obtained an Entei, and how she could fight equally against Kamui. The surviving samurai who studied under Shouyou, including Sakata Gintoki, Katsura Koutarou, and Takasugi Shinsuke were monsters. Bansai didn't know _what_ Shouyou did to train them into sword wielding demons, but he succeeded. And if they added Amanto blood on top of that, and if she was, by chance, a member of the warrior tribes… He shuddered to think she could become their enemy.

"I am surprised you walk around Edo in broad daylight. You, too, are a wanted man, after all," Tomoe said.

Bansai shrugged. "I have a job, gozaru."

"I see…" She mimicked his words from earlier. "Do you have time? I wish to discuss something with you."

Bansai's brows shot up. He could hear her rhythm change, tilting off balance. So she was worried about something? Or was she trying to make a decision? He really didn't think he was the person to talk to about things. She had her older brother, didn't she? She had Kazabana too, and they seemed as loyal to her as the Kiheitai was loyal to Takasugi. So to discuss problems with a stranger… It could only mean the topic was related to Takasugi.

"Of course," Bansai inclined his head graciously.

He followed Tomoe through the streets of Edo, wondering where she was bringing him. For a moment, he suspected she might turn him in to the Shinsengumi, which would help her gain their full trust. Her rhythm and music didn't give anything away, but he didn't trust that. After all, she had led him and Matako through Kabukicho and through half a park without the wound changing at all. The only times he had ever heard it change were just now, when it sounded uncertain, and in the first few seconds of her fight with Kamui.

Granted, he didn't know her well enough to hear all the instances when her song would change, but he considered those circumstances enough. Not only did she look calm on her outside, but she controlled her emotions well enough that anybody who could read emotions wouldn't know anything. That alone made her one of the most dangerous people he knew.

"May I ask where we are going?" Bansai asked cautiously.

She smiled at him. "Do not worry. I am not turning you in, but treating you to lunch."

 _"_ _Kick the can? Sounds fun," Tomoe said, a wide grin splitting her face._

 _"_ _Fun?! We're in the middle of a war! Gintoki, Takasugi, you say something too," Katsura said… "OI!"_

 _Tomoe's eyes widened in surprise, before she burst out laughing, holding the stomach that began to ache from the force of her laughter. Even though they had lost so much and fought in the war, experiencing more death and pain than those their age should, they were still children. And even though Gintoki and Takasugi claimed to be men, they still fought over stupid things, and liked playing games like kick the can. Some things never changed._

 _"_ _Ah, it must be nice to be so short. You can fit inside the can, right? It's one of the pull top ones too," Gintoki said._

 _"_ _You're the covert ops, aren't you? Something of this level shouldn't be hard. Oh wait, I forgot. Tomoe does all the hard work, and all you guys do is scout ahead and sound the alarm. The Kiheitai could do that with an arm tied behind our backs," Takasugi shot back._

 _"_ _Hah?! My group could do anything the Kiheitai could do, and we can do it better!"_

 _"_ _Fine! First to kick the can wins!" Takasugi snapped._

 _"_ _OOOIIII!" Zura screeched._

 _"_ _Zura, come on! Unless you want to be 'it'?" Tomoe laughed, running away to hide._

 _"_ _H-huh? Wait! I don't want to be 'it'!" Zura said. Then realizing that he was standing alone with the can at his feet, he blinked once, twice in confusion. "Eh? EEEHHH?"_

 _"_ _Idiot," Tomoe said affectionately._

 _"_ _All of them are idiots," Takasugi scoffed._

 _"_ _Shin-chan… This is my hiding place. Get your own," Tomoe pouted._

 _"_ _Shh. We can share."_

 _"_ _Hmm."_

 _The two watched in complete silence, peering through the bushes at Zura, waiting for him to walk far enough from the can before they would emerge and kick. But they weren't that lucky. Katsura walked closer and closer to them, suspicious, and fully intent on looking behind the bushes. It was one of the best hiding places, too small for an adult, but the perfect size for Takasugi or Tomoe. And Katsura had no doubt that one of them was hiding there._

 _Takasugi's eyes widened when he saw that Zura wouldn't be moving away. Swearing under his breath, he rolled further under the bushes. He felt the sticks dig into him in the least comfortable places, but on the bright side, he had armor protecting vital spots. He heard a shaky breath and a body press against his. The moment the scent of shion flowers hit his nose, he unconsciously reached out and pulled her tighter against him, his hand reaching to push her head against the crook of his neck, hiding the lavender as best he could._

 _The bushes rustled. He held her against him. He could feel his heartbeat against his armor, could feel her heat against him. But they both held completely still, waiting. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Katsura walked away with a disappointed huff, moving quickly back to the can, eyes now trained on a flash of white he had seen disappear behind the tree._

 _"_ _Shin-chan… You can let go now," Tomoe whispered._

 _Takasugi shivered at the feeling of her breath fanning across his neck. He glanced down. Big mistake. Her face was too close to his. As he gazed into lavender eyes, he suddenly wondered when in the world she had gone from 'annoying' to 'cute'. She had no curves, but the baby fat that the war couldn't get rid of made her feel soft, with hard muscle underneath. His eyes travelled down to her lips. Were they as soft as they looked? Subconsciously, he felt his head tilt further down, heard her breath catch as his lips almost touched hers._

 _"_ _HORAAA!" Gintoki yelled._

 _The two shoved apart, eyes wide, faces heated. Immediately Takasugi turned see the source of the sound, only to find Gintoki racing towards the can. Takasugi scowled and leapt out of the bushes, and_ charged _. He knew he had sticks and leaves in his hair and armor, but he didn't care. He just_ needed to beat Gintoki _. The two approached at breakneck speed, and an alarmed Zura began charging towards them from where he was searching a little too far away, intent on tagging them before they kicked the can he was supposed to protect._

 _Plink!_

 _The three men slid to a stop, shocked. Tomoe laughed._

 _The can flew through the air._

 _"_ _I win," Tomoe said cheekily, and winked._


	27. Chapter 27

Bansai's eye twitched. With every bite the girl took, he felt his appetite drain away, probably never to return. How could anybody eat that kind of dog food? It was disgusting, to say the least. Bansai had never seen anybody eat such a mixture, and never wanted to again. He could hardly say whose eating habits were more vile—Kamui's daily binge eating, or Tomoe's strange concoction. Tomoe blinked at him, cocking her head.

"Are you not going to eat?" She asked.

"I…" Bansai glanced down at his own food, and found his nausea fade.

He supposed it would work. As long as he did not look at her, he could enjoy his meal. He ate slowly, wondering when she would bring up what she wanted to discuss with him.

The situation was disconcerting, to say the least, because his first meeting with the girl hadn't exactly been… pleasant. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the staff at Kazabana suddenly appeared to ambush him, because that was what he and Matako had done to her. True, Sakata Tomoe didn't seem like the type of girl to hold a grudge, but if he knew anything about her, he knew that her appearance, behavior, and inner song were all deceptive. She was far more dangerous than most people gave her credit for. He knew for a fact she held grudges, like Takasugi did. The way she had dismembered the thirteenth shogun without batting an eyelash said a lot about her ruthlessness and mercilessness.

Was she going to do the same to him?

"I suppose it is not strange that you fear me," Tomoe said, her spoon clanking gently in her empty bowl. "Our first meeting was not the best, after all, but I do not blame you."

"I see," Bansai said, still cautious.

"You must be wondering why I asked you here," Tomoe continued. "I have questions regarding the new Kiheitai."

Bansai raised an eyebrow. "New?"

"Yes. You were not members of the Kiheitai when the armies of the Last Generation separated, correct? Your goals are different from the Kiheitai I know as well," Tomoe said.

Bansai frowned. "It would help if you explained, gozaru."

Tomoe sighed and sat back. When she looked back at him, her eyes were sharp. His breath caught, and he felt his body freeze for a moment, before he consciously forced himself to relax, to show no fear to the predator sitting before him. If he let her know he was afraid, she would see him as prey. And once a predator labels someone prey…

"The Kiheitai… Or rather, the Last Generation armies were formed before Shouyou sensei's execution. Our main goal was to rescue our teacher, and the secondary goal was to expel the Amanto. Rather, we probably knew it was impossible to expel the Amanto by that time, considering that they had already begun to settle," Tomoe smiled bitterly. "But we still had hopes for sensei."

Bansai nodded. He knew the gist of Takasugi's background from what his friend had divulged, but he didn't know everything. The information Tomoe now gave him was a little different from what Takasugi told him, but it wasn't that their stories were different, but rather she filled in the blanks Takasugi had left out. This was the first time he had heard about the goals of the former Kiheitai and the Last Generation, but not the first time he heard their teacher's name.

"You, however, mean to destroy everything," Tomoe continued. "Starting with those who killed sensei and our comrades."

"That is correct, gozaru," Bansai nodded. "And I believe our goals coincide?"

"Yes. They do."

Tomoe's eyes glimmered with a light that Bansai had seen one too many times on his friend. It was strange, he thought, or rather, it was fascinating how Shouyou's surviving students all had a flame burning inside them, a fiery magnet drawing people to them. Seeing the girl like this, Bansai couldn't help but think Kazabana was not an organization Tomoe had created, but rather a group of people who gathered around her, forcing her to create an organization where they could protect one another under her leadership.

Kawakami Bansai already knew that Sakata Gintoki's mud splattered light was interesting enough that he wanted to keep the silver haired samurai alive to observe him, and Katsura Koutarou's brightly glowing light was charismatic enough to attract those of like minds. If given a choice, Bansai would observe them and refuse to kill them, but he would never follow them. They were too pure in the wrong way, their lights bright white and untainted. They would attract all those who were pure and idealistic.

Takasugi and Tomoe, on the other hand, drew people like him. People who had fallen into the darkness, and could not climb back out. No, they would not climb back out. If people like him did not find someone like Takasugi and Tomoe, they would merely fall further and further until their souls were pitch black, their bodies and minds rotten, and they would survive as living corpses until someone ended their lives for them. Those two had tainted lights glowing the crimson hue of hatred and threaded with the black of depravity. However, the black would never cover the lights, never snuff it out. And the lights were just as magnetic.

"And what do you want to know?" Bansai finally asked.

She didn't hesitate. "How close are you to achieving that goal?"

Bansai's eyes widened slightly.

"How close are you to assassinating the Naraku and Tendoushuu?" She specified.

"Are they your goals?" Bansai asked, avoiding the question.

"Yes. The small fry are nothing," she said. She frowned and hesitated for a moment, before she continued, "I am only after those who killed sensei, the army leaders, and the ones who killed the Amatsukaze. I have already killed all the army leaders not in the Tendoushuu and Naraku."

His breath caught. Already? No. The girl had worked for years towards this goal. She had just achieved more than average, but considering that even Takasugi would go to her before they assassinated Sada Sada, she had to be very good at what she did. But even someone of her caliber could not reach the Tendoushuu and Naraku on her own, just like Takasugi needed the Kiheitai's support. And unlike Takasugi, she would most likely not be the type of person who would involve those she cared about in her personal affairs, meaning that she would not recruit the assassins of Kazabana for her mission.

"So the real question you want to ask is, how quickly are we moving towards that goal, correct?" Bansai deduced.

She flashed a smile. "As expected of the Kiheitai."

"If you joined us, with your connections to the Naraku and Tendoushuu, we can move a lot more quickly," Bansai said. "That is why Shinsuke wanted you, after all. He would still welcome you."

He watched her carefully for her reaction. By now, he knew this discussion would be a large influence on her decision. He could even hypothesize that she was torn between staying on Earth and partnering with the Kiheitai. She must have hit a wall in her mission to avenge her comrades. Or at the very least, she must have become impatient.

"Let us say I do partner with the Kiheitai…" Tomoe began, and leaned closer, eyes focused on him.

After a moment of silence, Bansai could see that she would not continue. He shrugged. "I suppose you would not be a member of the Kiheitai, but an associate. You and Shinsuke have mutual goals, after all, and the two of you have strengths that make up for the other's weaknesses. You would make very good partners. The only question is, are you willing to leave?"

"How long are you staying in Edo?" Tomoe asked.

"Until the end of the week."

Tomoe nodded thoughtfully. "Then I suppose I have until then to finish my business."

 _In hindsight, that game of kick the can was probably the worst decision they had made in the war. It wasn't that the game tired them out, or that the Amanto had heard the noise and come to investigate. No, the Last Generation and their comrades were still well hidden in the countryside, and all of them were quite safe and uninjured, save for Gintoki, Zura, and Takasugi's bruises and scratches from ending up in a brawl over the can._

 _"_ _Stop sulking already," Tomoe grumbled._

 _Really, for three teenagers who called themselves men, they were such children. So she kicked the can, who cared? Yet Katsura was making onigiri after misshaped onigiri, Gintoki was giving himself a mouth full of cavities, and Takasugi sat in the corner of the room with a cloud of gloom hovering over him. Her eyes travelled over them in disbelief. And they were called the Last Generation… The Amanto would laugh themselves sick if they saw this._

 _Tomoe herself wanted to laugh until she couldn't breathe. But she was dealing with the three idiots, and that meant she wasn't in the mood to laugh. Was she really the youngest one amongst them?_

 _They were completely ignoring her now. Tomoe huffed and got to her feet, fed up with them. She didn't have to deal with Zura—his rice balls would be dinner, so he had to make a few hundred more. She would leave him to that. But the overly sugary cake Gintoki was frosting was a waste of supplies, and the gloominess in Takasugi's corner of the room was lowering the troops' morale._

 _She stormed over to Gintoki, grabbed a handful of cake while ignoring her brother's protests. She walked to Takasugi and yanked him to his feet before dragging him outside, only to shove the fistful of cake into a shocked Takasugi's mouth. He said something, his eyes wide and furious, yet the sound was muffled by the cake, so she ignored it. He frowned and chewed for a few seconds, swallowing the cake bit by bit, until he only had the sugary substance all over his mouth. He scowled at her, opening his mouth to speak, but froze at the intensity of the lavender eyes. His jaw shut with a clack._

 _He did not expect her to pull him down to her level, did not expect her tongue to flick over the cake, licking his face clean. Takasugi felt his face explode into heat, knew he looked like a tomato right about then. He felt something stir in his belly. Cats. Furry, manly Amanto cat people. Gintoki. Zura. He thought about anything except Tomoe and her tongue, because he_ knew _her actions were innocent—she just wanted the cake, for goodness sakes!—and he was just a horny teenager._

 _"_ _Yummy," Tomoe said, and grinned. She knew exactly what she had done._


	28. Chapter 28

"EEEHHH?!"

When Tomoe had asked them to meet earlier than usual, this startling piece of news was _not_ what they had expected. They had gathered around the girl, drawn by a strange charisma, and she had created Kazabana for them. She had given them a home, a job—kami knows it was difficult enough for a samurai to get a job nowadays—and protection. Her reputation was what kept the establishment safe, was what kept the area around the bar safe.

If she left…

"B-but what about Kazabana?" A waitress slash assassin blubbered.

"I am leaving Kazabana to Hikaru," Tomoe replied, staring straight into the bartender's eyes.

They widened in shock, the man's body freezing up completely. "Wait! What about Misaki! Or… or… Haru? I'm not…"

"You are good enough. Otherwise I would not have chosen you," Tomoe said calmly.

"But—"

"Hikaru," Tomoe said, warning in her tone. Then she sighed. "You are the best assassin in here after me. You can remain calm in almost any situation, and you have good managing skills. Everybody here respects you, Hikaru. That makes you the best choice to become leader."

Her eyes surveyed the group, and his own gaze followed hers. What he saw surprised him. Everybody nodded and smiled, not a single hint of disagreement in their eyes. They… respected him? He had been a street rat. The lowest of trash. He had tried to pick Tomoe's pocket when they first met, for goodness sakes! He wasn't even one of the first to gather around Tomoe.

But seeing their faces, he straightened his back, took a deep breath, and nodded. He would do it, and he would succeed.

"My name will remain on the deed to Kazabana," Tomoe continued. "When the news spreads that I have left, it may be the only thing protecting you until you establish yourselves. The field, too, I leave in your care."

"What about requests for Tsukikage?" Misaki, the poison user, asked.

"You can handle just about any job that comes for me. And if there is something you know for sure that you cannot handle, you can contact me. I will either coach you through it, or I will come myself," Tomoe said, but her gaze pierced through them. "Do not contact me for every job that seems even the slightest bit difficult. You are all skilled assassins in your own right. You need to stop relying on me and grow stronger, and more experience on more difficult missions will increase your prowess. But that does not mean you should be reckless. Of course, I will stop by whenever we come by Earth to see how you are doing."

Her eyes scanned over the group once more, and she smiled softly. They would be just fine. She hadn't trained them for so long just so they could fail. They were all fine assassins, just as she had said, just a little too reliant on her. They knew how to get in and out without anyone noticing, how to kill without leaving a trace, how to hide evidence. They had learned to be ruthless to keep their safe haven, and that would only help them from now on.

"I leave tomorrow," Tomoe finally said. "I leave everything to you."

When she stepped out the door, she heard more than one of them break down into sniffles, but they had enough pride to prevent them from outright wailing. That was fine, she supposed, smiling. It was good to show emotions, but only if one did not get carried away.

But now she had the more difficult job. Telling Gintoki.

It probably wouldn't matter if she just left a note and disappeared without a trace. As long as she was packing all her things in plain view, Gintoki would notice, but he would remain silent. He was just that kind of man. Yet she would be a terrible little sister if she left like that, especially since she already knew she would lie to him about where she would go.

It seemed that she had lied to a lot of people recently. The Shinsengumi, Gintoki's friends, Gintoki… They all thought she was an innocent girl. Takasugi was probably the only person who saw even a hint of what she was really like now, but he, too, didn't know that much about her. He saw just a smidgen of the bloodlust she felt, saw just a tad of the sadism she could display. But it was enough for him to know he didn't want her as an enemy.

"I have returned," Tomoe said.

Gintoki glanced up warily from his Jump. He had no idea when the girl would up and leave. He had seen her packing, and it wasn't like she had brought much to the Yorozuya in the first place. Her bag was just sitting in the corner of his room, waiting to disappear along with his little sister.

"Sure."

The Yorozuya fell silent as Gintoki read his Jump and Kagura munched on sukonbu, with Shinpachi sipping tea quietly.

"Ne," Tomoe said suddenly, breaking the silence. She smiled when they all turned her attention to her. "How about yakiniku? My treat."

The trio's eyes widened, and even as Kagura and Shinpachi burst out into cheers, Gintoki remained silent, already having realized this was her way of saying goodbye. So this was her last night here. She would probably tell him outright later, but for now, she would give them one last thing. He would miss the little shit.

Tomoe knew the moment Gintoki realized. He stuck to her like glue as they walked down the streets of Kabukicho to a relatively inexpensive restaurant with good quality food. He still remained silent. He waited for her to speak first, but she never did. Her eyes and hair merely reflected the lights of the night city, the colors dancing off her and dying her the colors of Kabukicho.

Yet… Gintoki frowned. She seemed more at peace than before, but at the same time, in spite of all the lights, she seemed to retreat further into the shadows with every step. It was just something in her facial expression, in her eyes, that sent alarm bells clanging furiously in his mind. To him, it felt like she wasn't just physically leaving, but that she was falling back into the shadows that had overwhelmed them when Shouyou died.

He didn't taste the meat. Kagura and Shinpachi fought over the food and Tomoe laughed at them, and Gintoki watched as if they were a movie and he the audience. He could barely hear the cheerful noise in the background. It was like he was moving underwater, and when his eyes met with Tomoe's, he knew that no matter how hard he swam, he wouldn't be able to reach her.

Dread filled the silver haired samurai, and suddenly, he knew he couldn't stay silent and let her say goodbye. He had questions to ask her, questions that he wanted answered.

"Thank you, Tomoe-san," Shinpachi grinned.

"Thank you, ane-san!" Kagura cheered.

"You are welcome," Tomoe returned the smile. "Shinpachi-kun, please be careful on your way home."

"Alright! You too!"

"Kagura, go home first," Gintoki said.

"Huh? Gin-chan, you shouldn't use ane-san's money to do naughty things with women," a wide eyed Kagura said.

"I'm not!" Gintoki shot back. "I just need to talk to her!"

"Really, aru?" Kagura asked suspiciously.

Gintoki sighed. "Just go home, you little brat."

 _"_ _So that's the Dragon of Katsurahama," Takasugi said._

 _"_ _Katsurahama ja nai. Katsura da," Zura shot back._

 _Tomoe sighed. They were standing on a beach of all places. She really didn't understand why she had to come. The Amatsukaze and Kiheitai were all resting. Even Raitei was resting! Yet Gintoki and Zura's armies plus Tomoe and Takasugi all had to show up to watch a man arrive on something that couldn't really be called anything but a boat._

 _"_ _I wasn't talking to you! He has an air of certainty about him," Takasugi continued with a small smile._

 _"_ _What part?" Tomoe yawned, leaning her full body weight into his side._

 _"_ _I don't like this. Rich little boys and I don't get along," Gintoki drawled. "Those shits don't know anything about hard work. We've already got one. The firstborn of a samurai. He's more stillborn than firstborn though. That ship was probably bought by his papa too, right? Reminds me of a runt who got his papa to buy him a Lego regiment so he could pretend to be a commander. It just means your papa is great, not you."_

 _"_ _Whose troops are you calling Lego?" Takasugi retorted, brows twitching with irritation. "Besides, I was disowned long ago."_

 _"_ _Does it matter?" Tomoe sighed._

 _"_ _EH? Who said I was talking about you? Takasugi, you actually think your family is rich? You call yourself a rich little boy?"_

 _Tomoe rubbed her temples as Takasugi started kicking at Gintoki. "Gintoki, stop that. Shin-chan, don't get riled up by that idiot. My troops can beat yours anyways."_

 _"_ _OI! Don't add fire to the mule!" Zura shouted._

 _"_ _It's fuel to the fire, Zura," Tomoe told him._

 _"_ _Oi, what's he laughing at?" Takasugi asked._

 _"_ _OI! You! Don't look down on Takasugi, you bastard!" Gintoki shouted._

 _"_ _No, it's you who's looking down on him…"_

 _"_ _Hey, whatcha laughing at?" Gintoki sneered, acting like a cliché gangster rather than a proud samurai. "What part of Takasugi is funny? That his name is Takasugi means really high but he's actually really low?"_

 _"_ _Zura, let's go back. I'm bored," Tomoe drawled, pulling the long haired samurai back._

 _"_ _Eh? But—"_

 _"_ BARF!"

 _Tomoe's eyes widened as she stared back at her brother and Shin-chan, now covered with vomit. "Pfft! Wahahahaha! Oi, Gintoki! Shin-chan! Go jump into the ocean and wash that off!"_

 _Without a word they obeyed. Vomit was not a pleasant thing to have on you. It was slimy and stinky and undoubtedly disgusting. Tomoe just knew those two would have a hell of a time getting it out of their armor._

 _"_ _That's Sakamoto Tatsuma…" Zura said flatly, watching a soaked Gintoki and Takasugi beat the crap out of the seasick samurai._

 _"_ _Great. The three idiots just gained an imbecile in arms," Tomoe sighed._


	29. Chapter 29

Thank you for faving/following: KurohoshiX and blaackcat!

A/N: Finally, Takasugi permanently in the story! I hope I didn't turn anyone away with the lack of Takasugi x Tomoe...

* * *

 _"You're leaving_ …"

" _Yes_."

She left the Yorozuya before dawn, casting one last look at the Yorozuya. Tomoe knew Gintoki wasn't really sleeping. He couldn't be, after what she told him the night before. She whispered a goodbye before sliding the door shut, and walking out, possibly for the last time. Back in his futon, Gintoki's eyes opened for a second, glanced at the empty space where his little sister had been sleeping for the past few months, and closed his eyes once again.

 _"Where are you going?"_

 _"How peculiar. You do not usually ask, Gintoki."_

Tomoe hoisted the bag higher onto her shoulder. Raitei walked beside her with all her weapons strapped across his back, plus oats and alfalfa. There was a lot of food for the horse, of course, since she had no idea where to get horse food in the middle of space. Takasugi wouldn't be too happy either if he had a horse _and_ a Yato eating all his food. The saying 'eat like a horse' did come from a grain of truth, after all, and it wasn't that easy to acquire supplies in space.

 _"This time is different. You're not just physically leaving, are you? The look in your eyes right now reminds me of the expression you had after sensei died."_

 _"You should really decide on a character. Are you supposed to be an idiot, or are you supposed to be perceptive? It is a little unsettling to see you switch between the two."_

It seemed like the park bench was Kawakami Bansai's usual spot, because he was once again sitting there, on the same bench, still with sunglasses covering his eyes and headphones covering his ears. It was rather strange, to say the least, that the Shinsengumi and other police units didn't notice him there. He was a wanted man, and wanted men usually did not sit out in the open like that. Tomoe only did so because she knew for a fact that she didn't have a wanted poster.

 _"Well, it does not hurt to tell you, I suppose. Space."_

 _"Space? As in up there in the stars and planets where you could find dungonballs?"_

Bansai glanced up as her shadow fell over him. He nodded a greeting before turning his attention back to his book, and Tomoe took that as a hint that she should sit and wait with him. She supposed that the lack of reaction to her horse's presence meant it was fine if Raitei came along. Well, not that she would leave him behind anyways.

 _"You can't fly a ship. Are you going with someone?"_

 _"Yes."_

Finally, Bansai glanced at his watch before rising and motioning for Tomoe to follow. Raising an eyebrow, she obeyed. They walked out of the park, towards Tsukikage's field. They stopped at the edge of the familiar land, but Tomoe raised an eyebrow at Raitei. If this was Takasugi's pick up and drop off spot, why didn't Raitei ever tell her anything?

 _"Who?"_

 _"Do you not know already? Do you not already have a suspect?"_

Oh right. She forgot that her horse couldn't speak. Even so, Raitei never allowed anybody, human or Amanto, inside the field. To permit Takasugi to do so… Perhaps Raitei remembered that Takasugi was Tomoe's friend and assumed it was alright? No, he wouldn't allow Gintoki in either. She knew that. So why did he permit Takasugi to invade the graves of the Amatsukaze?

 _"Don't. It's not worth it. I don't know what that short bastard did to convince you to go with him, but it's not worth falling back into that darkness. It's already consumed Takasugi. I don't want it to overwhelm you too."_

 _"Haha. Gintoki... What makes you think I ever left the shadows?"_

Within moments, a space ship parted through the clouds and descended slowly. A harsh wind blew over the three standing on Earth, but none of them even blinked an eye. Raitei whickered a warning she knew those inside the ship could not hear, but as if they had heard, the ship halted a few feet above the ground, hovering just above reach to the humans who needed to jump aboard.

 _"Tomoe, you…"_

 _"Gintoki. Would you like me to tell you what you want to hear? Or would you like the truth?"_

The door opened, and Takasugi stood there with the usual smirk on his face and a brow raised. He hadn't expected to see Tomoe. Raitei, yes, since he knew the Entei guarded this field for the girl. But Tomoe? His eye shot to Bansai before narrowing dangerously. What did his friend think he was doing, bringing Tomoe to meet the Kiheitai's ship?

 _"… If you go with him, the next time we meet we'll be enemies."_

 _"If it means I can complete the revenge we started when Shouyou sensei died, then so be it."_

Without a word, Tomoe leapt onto Raitei's back and extended a hand to Bansai. The man visibly hesitated for a mere moment before he grasped her hand. His brows shot up in surprise as she pulled him up behind her with a surprising show of strength, and the moment he felt the horse's muscles move beneath him, he clutched her waist tightly to keep from getting thrown off. Even though Tomoe seemed to have mastered it, riding bareback on an Entei was not a good idea.

 _"How long have you… No. Never mind. I don't want to know."_

 _"Well then, goodbye, Gintoki."_

 _"Goodbye."_

With a few strong bounds through the air, Raitei's hooves landed on the deck of the ship with a series of loud clops, and the humans slid off. Takasugi's stare remained unwavering, piercing through his friend and not once looking at the girl.

"Bansai, why is she here?" Takasugi finally asked.

"She wants to partner with us, gozaru," Bansai replied.

"And she does not like having someone talk about her as if she was not right here," Tomoe cut in.

Takasugi finally turned his gaze towards her. "I thought you said you'll never come with me?"

Tomoe shrugged. "A partnership. I am in no way your subordinate."

"That doesn't answer my question," Takasugi's eye narrowed threateningly.

Tomoe smirked. "I got… impatient."

Takasugi inclined his head, satisfied with the answer. His head turned to look out the open door and at the field, Tomoe following his gaze. Even now, she could see their ghosts laughing and shouting, waving a 'see you later'.

"Always a rowdy bunch, even when they're dead," Takasugi scoffed.

Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "So it is not my imagination?"

Bansai glanced out, confused, before turning his gaze at Takasugi and Tomoe. He saw nothing except a lot of grass, weeds, and a single tree in the middle of the field. Then it hit him, and he shuddered. Did Takasugi and Tomoe see the ghosts of the Amatsukaze? It was a scary thought. Creepy.

"Oh? Hey! You're here!" Kamui cheered, having seen the girl after poking his head around the corner. "Samurai girl!"

"Kamui," Tomoe greeted with a small smile and bow. "A pleasure to see you again."

Bansai watched as the girl and Yato conversed, and with a little surprise, noted the irritation growing quickly on Takasugi's face. It didn't take much for Bansai to connect the dots, and it was with dread that he predicted Matako's reaction. So Bansai yanked the door shut, interrupting the conversation.

"We should go inside, gozaru. Introduce you to everyone else," Bansai said.

 _"Shiroyasha, Sakata Gintoki. The leader of the Kiheitai, Takasugi Shinsuke. Tsukikage, leader of the Amatsukaze, Sakata Tomoe. The Rampaging Noble, Katsura Koutarou. The Loud Person, AKA The Laughing Clown, Sakamoto Tatsuma," Katsura reported. "Well, that's all our epithets."_

 _"No, you went wrong somewhere," Takasugi deadpanned._

 _"Really? Sounds accurate," Tomoe said._

 _"It's the Dragon of Katsurahama…" Takasugi sighed._

 _"Who is?"_

 _"Sakamoto!"_

 _"What about the Laughing Clown slash Idiot?"_

 _"He's the Dragon of Katsurahama!" Takasugi half shouted._

 _"Eh? No way he has a name that cool. Right, Gintoki?" Tomoe asked._

 _"Here here! There's no way that idiot has a cooler name than me!" Gintoki agreed._

 _"No he doesn't. Shiroyasha is cool," Tomoe said, confused._

 _"Hah? Shiroyasha sounds like Shirayuki-hime. Does Gin-chan look like a princess? Does Gin-chan look like he wears frilly dresses and spends all his time looking at men?"_

 _Tomoe stared at him for a second. "Gin-chan does spend all his time looking at men. There are only men and children around. Besides, you would make a pretty nice tranny."_

 _"Tch. Zura would make a prettier woman," Takasugi scoffed._

 _Silence fell for a long moment, before identical evil grins grew on Takasugi and Tomoe's faces. They had the exact same idea, it seemed, and neither Gintoki nor Katsura would like it. The two said men could already tell—they backed away slowly, and when they were within reach of the door, turned to sprint out._

 _Turned out that socks on smooth wooden floorboards didn't work well in their favor compared to Takasugi and Tomoe's bare feet. It was almost like they had planned for this, so didn't wear anything on their feet in order to increase the friction between sole and floor. Needless to say, the two caught the samurai by the back of their shirts and yanked them back into the room._

 _"What, you said it yourself, right? Shiroyasha sounds like Shirayuki-hime. So you wouldn't mind dressing like her, right?" Tomoe asked evilly._

 _"And Zura, you wouldn't be so cruel as to let Gintoki cross dress alone, right?" Takasugi asked._

 _"Yes! He can die alone! Or better yet, Takasugi! You cross dress with him!" Katsura shouted, struggling desperately._

 _Tomoe hesitated, glancing over at Takasugi. He would make a pretty woman… Takasugi felt shudders run up his spine, and he glared at the younger girl. She wouldn't_ dare…

 _"Yes, he would look nice as a woman," Tomoe said, ignoring the glare, before she smirked again. "But then who will help me put the two of you in dresses?"_


	30. Chapter 30

Thank you yama-chan82201, Otakugrams, SoulDragon162, Yuna1549, Luminence, 125berribe, and Rainne-potato for the follows/faves!

125berribe: Thank you! Glad you think so.

* * *

Oh, how the mighty Kiheitai had fallen. Tomoe's eyes surveyed the crew and found them severely lacking. That they were in space almost all the time did not excuse shaving maybe once a week, not washing their clothes—perhaps even themselves as well, judging from the distinct smell of unwashed bodies, the lack of weapons carried by the men, and the sloppy dead fish expressions on most faces. Dead fish expressions, Tomoe might add, were very different from dead fish eyes. Gintoki had dead fish eyes. Dead fish expressions, on the other hand, meant that the Kiheitai crew barely had a handful of brain cells to share between them.

The consequences of becoming nothing but a side character with little to no air time were quite frightening.

Nevertheless, Tomoe bowed with barely any depth to the movement, before straightening once again. "Hello. I am Sakata Tomoe, and starting from today I will be working with the Kiheitai."

The crew stared blankly at her.

She stared blankly back. Then she turned to Takasugi and asked, "Do they understand Japanese?"

"They should," Takasugi drawled.

"Haha! They're just not used to seeing pretty girls," Kamui smiled.

He immediately earned the glares of two people—Matako and Takasugi. The latter had no idea he was glaring, of course. He had no reason to get angry at the statement. It was a fact. Tomoe wasn't a bad looking girl. Matako, on the other hand, was _very_ offended. She was a girl—woman! She was a pretty gir—woman! And Kamui _dared_ to insinuate that she wasn't!

"Takasugi-sama," one of the crew said hesitantly.

Takasugi glanced over.

"That… That _is_ a girl, right? Not a cross dresser or a really feminine male or a futanari or a newhalf, right?" The man continued almost desperately.

Tomoe blinked twice, feeling like her brain just exploded. What in the _world_ did Takasugi put his crew through? Unconsciously her eyes turned to the blonde woman standing a step behind Takasugi. Was she one of the not quite females the crew member was talking about?

Matako felt a violent shiver run up her spine, as if someone was insulting her femininity and ability to attract males.

Tomoe sighed. "I am a female in both sex and gender."

"There aren't any… nonhuman body parts?" The man continued, hope shining in his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow, amusement beginning to form. "No."

"It's a miracle!" The man shouted, turning to his comrades. "It's a girl! A real girl!"

At once the group cheered, life returning to their faces. Just as Tomoe was amused, Takasugi was _not_ amused. She was general class, just like Takasugi, while they were mere soldiers. No, they were less than soldiers. They were just people who did the grunt work on the space ship, and became cannon fodder whenever they had to go out and fight. In other words, they were sorry excuses for samurai, and much too low in rank to talk to Tomoe.

"Alright, enough. Now get back to work," Takasugi snapped. "And _you_ come with me."

"Ah, Shin-chan! Wait!" Tomoe gasped, half running in an awkward gait as Takasugi's sudden yank on her arm threw her off balance.

And it was with amusement (Kamui) and apprehension (Bansai) that those watching realized that, even then, her footsteps made no sound. It was uncanny, unsettling. Geta were similar heeled boots in that they made a noise on any surface, even the softest ones. Bansai was an assassin himself, and even he couldn't move that silently. For someone to move without even a whisper of noise meant she was a top class assassin, capable of slitting _any_ throat without anybody noticing her come and leave.

"Shin-chan?" Tomoe asked, glancing at him with doe eyes.

"This is your room. Mine is across the hall, Bansai's is over there, Matako's is there, and Kamui's is over there," Takasugi said, pointing to the doors in turn. "And the lolicon pervert… You should avoid him."

"Lolicon… pervert?" Tomoe asked, before deciding she really didn't want to know.

"Your horse—" Takasugi paused when said horse gave him the evil eye, and corrected, "Raitei can stay in your room. Just make sure he stays out of the kitchen, in case someone mistakes him for meat."

Raitei and Tomoe gave Takasugi the same startled look, and he smirked. "See you later."

He shut the door behind him, and only seconds later another door slammed shut, and Takasugi presumably returned to his own room. The girl and Entei stared at the closed door for another second before they glanced awkwardly at each other. Well, there was no way anybody would try to eat Raitei. Raitei huffed and stomped a hoof, as if to confirm that thought. He would step on whoever tried, before walking over them several more times, and then drop the smelliest piece of dung he could muster right on their faces.

He nodded with satisfaction. That would dissuade anyone from ever trying again.

Tomoe's lips twitched in amusement at the wholly satisfied look on her horse's face. He was definitely thinking of ways to punish anybody who tried to eat him, but she really didn't think anybody was stupid enough to try. He was several times larger than normal horses, after all, with a sadistic streak that all Entei had.

Besides, nobody except Kamui would be hungry enough to eat a horse.

Footsteps.

They obviously belonged to someone trying to be sneaky, but someone who did not have any skills in that area. Heels clicked against the floor loudly enough to scare away any insect that could sense vibrations, and the unnatural toe to heel movement of the steps gave away the fact that the person was up to no good. Tomoe sighed and stared at the door, waiting for it to open, for there it could only be her room that the person was trying to reach.

The knob turned. The door creaked open slightly, before it burst open, the knob slamming against the wall as the intruder leapt in. Tomoe raised an eyebrow, not at all amused, and not at all startled by the sudden entry.

"Close the door. You do not want Shin-chan seeing you here, right?" Tomoe said calmly.

Matako faltered. She had expected to surprise the girl and launch into a verbal—and perhaps slightly physical—attack, taking the upper hand in one shot. Thereafter she would be the queen, and the new girl would just be a servant. Yet, the girl had taken her by surprise instead, and it took a few seconds for her to recover and try to regain her momentum.

"So? Are you going to tell me that you were here first, that Shin-chan belongs to you, and that I should know my place as the newcomer?" Tomoe asked impatiently.

"Huh?" Yes, Matako knew that was exactly what she had intended to do, but for the new girl to state it herself was off putting. If she already knew what Matako was going to say, and even stole her lines, then what was Matako supposed to say and do now? She couldn't just walk back out. That would be humiliating and it would mean Matako lost.

"Look, even if I had not met Shin-chan long before you, and he and I both know we are equals—which renders most of your arguments invalid, by the way—Shin-chan does not belong to you. He does not belong to me, either. Shin-chan is Shin-chan, and he belongs only to himself," Tomoe said. "And I am not going to take your place. I have no interest in guns, and I am not going to throw myself at him in an attempt to get his attention, so we are separate beings. You do your thing, I do mine. That is all. Now if you will please leave?"

Matako's mouth worked, but no sound came out. She could only turn on her heel and walk out, only to come face to face with Takasugi, his brow raised. Quickly Matako ducked her head and ran off, face burning with embarrassment.

"What was that?" Takasugi asked.

"She just came to welcome me," Tomoe said with a sweet smile.

"By slamming the door?"

"By slamming the door," Tomoe agreed,

 _Furiously irritated eyes met completely amused ones. Especially since neither male had fully hit puberty yet—their voices had begun to deepen but no facial hair had appeared and their faces hadn't exactly lost all the baby fat—putting them in dresses made it overly easy for them to pass as females._

 _That wasn't to say it was_ easy _putting them in a female kimono. Takasugi had to hold both samurai down while Tomoe undressed them, before they both had to struggle to get the kimono on the two teenagers. The results really were quite nice. If they sent Gintoki and Katsura to Yoshiwara, they would be bought within seconds._

 _Of course, their buyers would demand a refund the moment they found out the two cute girls were actually two cute boys, before calling the guards in charge to drag them to the male section of the red light town._

 _Yes, male courtesans slash prostitutes_ did _exist in Yoshiwara. They were just… less well known than their female counterparts, especially in anime. Quite sad, really, to have practically been forgotten, pushed out of the scenes by women._

 _Tomoe stepped back and admired her handiwork. These were simple kimono, nowhere near what high ranked courtesans and geisha wore, but they were good enough. In fact, these were exactly the kind of kimono Shouyou sensei always wanted Tomoe to wear, but she always chose the same clothes the rest of Shouyou's students wore._

 _For a second, she froze, before she shook it off. If he had been disappointed in her, he would have said so, and been more firm about putting her in a proper kimono rather than letting her run around with a sword. That he had been willing to teach her already said that he didn't mind her behaving like a tomboy, even if he did wish she would act more like a girl._

 _"Great, now get us out of these things!" Gintoki growled._

 _"Maybe we should take a picture first, to commemorate this," Tomoe grinned._

 _"We should," Takasugi agreed, a devious smirk on his lips._

 _"Don't. You. Dare," Gintoki and Katsura chorused, furious expressions on their faces._

 _Tomoe sighed, remembering that they did not have a camera. "Next time, then."_

 _"There won't be a next time!" Katsura shouted just as Gintoki yelled, "Like hell I'm letting you put me in a dress again!"_


	31. Chapter 31

Thanks for faving/following: AnimE264LoVeR and TaviaLover14.

Xliaf27: Thanks!

* * *

"Shin-chan," Tomoe said. "Nobody puts ketchup in miso soup. And _why_ did you use sugar to make onigiri?"

"Shut up," he glared harshly at her, his entire body tense. "The person who eats ice cream with rice shouldn't be saying anything."

"Even I choose the flavors that go best with rice. Taro, vanilla, red bean… Those are fine. Sugar and rice and salted salmon? Not so much."

The glare he gave her would have scared a Yato.

It really wasn't the best situation to be in. Over three quarters of the crew was down for the count, an alien virus having made its presence known three days after they departed from the last planet. Needless to say, that meant everybody still standing had to work, and that meant _everybody_. Even Takasugi Shinsuke.

Except nobody ever thought to put him to work at something less domestic than _cooking_. In hindsight, Tomoe should have known better than to nod absently when Shinsuke said he would take cooking duty. She had just assumed that since Katsura was always making onigiri, and occasionally cooking full, simple meals, the rest of Shouyou sensei's students knew how to cook too.

To be fair, almost all of them did, as long as what they were making was simple. Like tamago kakegohan and onigiri. Actually, it was pretty hard to mess up on the things they learned to cook.

Yet somehow Shinsuke managed to do it.

Strangely, only the three of them were actually eating. The rest of the healthy crew members had taken a look at the food, blanched, and left with the excuse that they weren't hungry. Tomoe stayed out of pity for the glaring Shinsuke, and Kamui… Well, Kamui was always hungry.

"Ne, Tomoe-chan," Kamui whined. "You're a girl, right? Why don't you make us something edible?"

"This is perfectly edible," Shinsuke snapped. "Not that you taste anything you eat. Just shove it in and swallow like you usually do."

As if to prove his point, Shinsuke practically poured everything on his plate down his throat within the next thirty seconds. The Yato and assassin watched him closely, the Yato delighted and the assassin hanging on the thread between worry and amusement as Shinsuke's face changed color.

"That bad?" Tomoe asked, carefully keeping her voice neutral.

"Of course not," Shinsuke snapped, punctuating his words with the scrape of his chair as he stood. "Now if you _picky_ people will excuse me…"

He walked out of the mess hall quickly, punching the button and escaping through the doors even before they could fully open. They could still see his back retreating down the hall for a long moment before the doors slid shut once again. Kamui sent Tomoe a mischievous smile, and she raised an eyebrow.

"He is definitely going to throw up," Tomoe said drily.

"Definitely," Kamui agreed. Then he glanced down at his plate, the food not even a hundredth of the quantity he normally ate. "So what do we do with this pig feed?"

She gave him a dull stare. "Eat it."

He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Don't waste food."

Kamui pouted. Tomoe took a bite of the onigiri, and gave the soup an uncertain glance. The soup was a little too disgusting to drink… How in the world did Shinsuke mess up miso soup? At the very simplest, all he had to do was mix dashi and miso paste.

"The sick people can't taste anything…" Kamui said suggestively, staring at Tomoe expectantly.

She raised an eyebrow. "You want to make sick people even sicker?"

"Not like it would make a difference," Kamui shrugged.

"True…" Tomoe glanced at the food again.

Even though she wasn't usually so sadistic—that was more Okita Sougo's field—the food really was horrid. The miso soup was probably impossible to salvage, but the rice…

"Come on. Let us make this edible," Tomoe said as she stood and grabbed a tray of onigiri.

Kamui gave her a curious look before taking a step after her, but when she sent him a dirty look, he hurriedly grabbed the rest of the food. He watched her as she grabbed a pot, and began to deconstruct the onigiri.

"Whatcha doin?" Kamui asked.

"If you will merely be standing there, might as well help," Tomoe said. "Peel off the seaweed and take out the filling, then dump the rice in here."

It wasn't like Kamui knew what she was doing, but since it seemed like she was making something edible, he shrugged and complied. Looked like she knew what she was doing. And as long as it would fill his stomach without making him barf it all back up, he was probably fine with eating it. The taste didn't matte—well, it did matter. He wouldn't eat anything disgusting.

Except he started to wonder about her sanity and culinary skills when she added milk and _more_ sugar to the boiling pot of rice. Kamui stared at Tomoe as if she was insane, before he moved to hover over her, peeking over her shoulder at the pot. A pot of pure white "food", a pale hand stirring the mixture with a spoon, a sword stuck in the wall…

A sword stuck in the wall?

Kamui blinked twice, staring blankly at the object that obviously didn't belong. In fact, he was pretty sure that just a moment ago, there was neither a sword in the wall nor a murderous glare pinned to the back of his head. For a moment, the Yato contemplated shimmying in between the girl and the stove so her body would be in between him and the furious Takasugi Shinsuke, but then he trashed the thought. It would probably make Takasugi more inclined to kill him in his sleep.

Considering that he didn't want Takasugi standing above his bed with a sword pointed at his throat, Kamui still couldn't resist a jab at the obviously oblivious one eyed man. He grinned cheekily. "Tomoe-chan seems like a good cook. Maybe you should marry me and cook for me every day, and make me strong children to fight. Ten or so babies will be fine."

Or maybe Kamui _did_ want Takasugi to attack him. Then he would finally be able to fight the samurai.

Takasugi, about to approach and strangle Kamui, instead stood shell shocked. He was pretty sure the two didn't have that kind of relationship… He scowled. Tomoe belonged to _him_. _He_ met her first. _He_ wanted her as his own pet assassin. Kamui had no right to interfere and take her all for himself!

"You will never have _any_ babies if your hands move any lower," Tomoe said, her voice perfectly devoid of emotions.

Kamui hurriedly retrieved his hands. He didn't need the assassin _and_ the psychopath out for his blood. Takasugi's glare, having faded for a moment, returned full force.

"Kamui," Takasugi growled. " _What_ are you doing?"

Kamui thought for a moment. It didn't seem like Takasugi was literally asking what he was doing. In fact, the only concern on the samurai's mind was probably the Yato's proximity to the assassin.

But, well, it was Takasugi's fault for not asking a more specific question. "Waiting for food."

"Standing so near the cook wouldn't make the food ready any sooner," Takasugi shot back.

Kamui cocked his head slightly, appraising the dark haired man. Sometimes it seemed like Takasugi knew he was overly possessive of Tomoe, and sometimes it seemed like he was oblivious to his feelings. It was too confusing, really. Everyone, even Kamui's band of idiot Yato, knew Takasugi would slaughter anybody who even laid a hand on the girl. Any male knew that such an action was a territorial declaration of courtship, that the male wanted the female and would fight for her. Yet, Takasugi seemed to deny the courtship even while he declared wordlessly that Tomoe belonged to _him_.

Did Takasugi know he wanted Tomoe as his woman, or didn't he?

"Done," Tomoe's voice interrupted Kamui's thoughts.

"Oh!" Kamui said with a grin. It faltered. "What is it?"

 _"GUAAAAARGH!"_

 _"Gintoki! Left!" Katsura shouted, before he took care of the enemy himself, but not before kicking Gintoki in the head during mid-leap._

 _"HYAAAAAAH!"_

 _"Shin-chan?"_

 _"I've got your back," Takasugi shouted, and Tomoe felt his back press against hers._

 _"GWAAHYA!"_

 _"Oi, Tatsuma—"_

 _"Forget it, Shin-chan. He wouldn't hear you with all that screaming," Tomoe said wryly._

 _Takasugi sighed as he stabbed another Amanto through the heart. "Like Zura said, his epithet should really be 'the loud person'."_

 _Tomoe pivoted to her right and slashed through an Amanto's belly before ducking under an ax, and she returned the favor by stabbing the ax bearer through the eye._

 _"Now that we think about it, all of us have an epithet except you," Tomoe said thoughtfully. "You're just 'the leader of the Kiheitai.'"_

 _"That's fine, isn't it?" Takasugi replied._

 _He didn't have an epithet… He frowned. Why didn't he have a cool nickname like the others? The idiot trio all had one, and even Sakata Tomoe, the leader of the Amatsukaze, had an epithet of her own. Him? He was just the 'leader of the Kiheitai'. Cool and threatening, but it just wasn't an epithet._

 _"Gintoki, what should Shin-chan's epithet be?" Tomoe shouted._

 _"HAH?! Is this really the time to be discussing that?" Gintoki roared._

 _They were all covered with blood and breathing hard, the battle never seeming to end. The Amanto just kept coming in waves, and even the Amatsukaze members were fighting on ground in tight formation, while the Entei attacked the enemies from above._

 _It really wasn't the time to be talking about something like this._


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I'm _desperately_ trying to wrap the story up... It's surprisingly difficult to write, so it will end within the next five chapters.

Thanks for faving/following: Layla YukarinX99, Samantha Star o.O, NexusInSeries, Ablazeea, vampire dutchess23, CNANANA1107, and BloodyCamellia.

annerly: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the story.

* * *

This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. By now, the only people who could still _stand_ were reduced to Kamui—who was _always_ irritatingly healthy; what was the saying, 'idiots never got sick'?—Takasugi, Bansai, and Tomoe. Raitei too, but since he was a horse, he didn't really count.

And Tomoe was getting dizzy spells, occasionally blacking out the moment she was off her feet. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was starting to get sick too, and that sooner or later she would pass out while doing something important. Like taking a bath, which the crew actually considered a _very_ important task. Most of them didn't take one until they started to stink up a room within seconds of entering it. Then, of course, Takasugi would order them to bathe.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Tomoe asked.

"A few hours," Shinsuke replied, barely glancing at her, before doing a double take. "You look horrible."

"Thank you very much. You're very handsome too," Tomoe said sarcastically, before she said, "I'm fine."

And proved her point by fainting then and there.

Shinsuke's eye widened, and he lunged forward to catch her before she hit the floor. Then he frowned. What the hell was he doing? And he promptly let go of her, allowing her to drop onto the floor with a painful sounding thud. Of course, he then felt something within him twinge—was he getting indigestion?—and he picked her up, hauled her to the side of the room where she would be out of the way, and put her down more gently.

He probably should have known she wasn't in her best condition. She used _informal language_ , for goodness sakes. With the old Tomoe, it wouldn't have rung warning bells inside him. But this Tomoe, who always sounded like she had an unsheathed katana up her ass, _never_ used informal language.

Shinsuke poked her a few times, as if to make sure she really was unconscious. Kind of stupid, in hindsight, considering that she wouldn't fall on him for no reason. She wasn't _Matako_ , or Kamui. Long story. Let's just say that Shinsuke would never again show Kamui a squid.

Sighing, he turned back to handling the ship, concentrating on maneuvering it to the planet. If they didn't get to the planet soon, and get all their crew members healthy again, _Kamui_ would be the only healthy one left. And Shinsuke shuddered at the thought. Kamui could _not_ be left alone. He would destroy the ship, and even worse, it wouldn't even be out of boredom. It would just be because he had no idea how to do _anything_ except fighting and eating, and because he would use that monstrous strength even when he didn't need to.

The planet grew bigger and bigger on the window as the ship approached, and Takasugi immediately turned to the screen to search for a place to land. It wasn't that the planet didn't have a terminal and parking space, but even if the inhabitants of the planet were a race of medics, there was no way to know if they were hostile and if they were good at fighting.

With most of their crew down, it wasn't a good idea to gamble.

The ship finally touched down in an abandoned space, the wind whipping the dust around until the ship settled and the engines shut off. Grabbing his sword, Takasugi went out in search for Kamui and Bansai, because the Yato and the one eyed man would be moving out, and the male assassin would have to stay on the ship to keep watch.

"Takasugi!" Kamui shouted, a cheerful smile on his face as he consumed another year's worth of rice. "Are we going outside now?"

Takasugi's eye twitched. Just because the crew was sick and incapable of eating didn't mean the Yato boy had to eat all their shares as well, did it? He sighed. They would have to restore their food supplies. Again. He really needed to set Kamui to work on something that can earn money. The boy could never earn enough to feed himself, but at least it would be better than nothing.

"Oh!" Kamui's grin brightened. "Are you coming too, Tomoe-chan?"

Takasugi whipped around, eye wide with surprise. Hadn't she just collapsed back there? What was she doing walking around, when she should be sleeping on the floor where he left her?

"Shin-chan, you bastard," Tomoe glared at the man. "You dropped me!"

"How did you know? You were awake?" Takasugi raised an eyebrow.

"No, but you just confirmed it," Tomoe snarled. "Let me drop you a few times from the top of a skyscraper."

"Ahaha! That would kill him!" Kamui laughed.

"It would," Tomoe confirmed, not sounding at all displeased by the idea.

Takasugi rolled his eyes. "Try it if you can. And you're sick, so go to bed and threaten the other sick people."

"I'm fine. I'm coming with you," Tomoe said.

"You're still using informal language. Either you're still sick, or dropping you killed a few brain cells," Takasugi retorted.

"Lessee," Kamui said, pushing Takasugi aside and pressing his forehead to the girl's. Takasugi was definitely _not_ glaring at him, judging by the holes burning into his back. "Yup. Sick. Off to bed with you."

Kamui swooped down and picked her up, carrying her like a princess. Takasugi's eye narrowed, his hand twitching with the desire to strangle the Yato. He didn't, of course, because there was no reason to. He didn't care that Kamui was too close to Tomoe. The blush on Tomoe's face when Kamui picked her up didn't matter either. Tomoe meant nothing to him.

Takasugi turned on his heel and marched out of the ship, no longer caring that he was venturing out onto unknown territory alone. He was in the mood to kill, so it was probably even _better_ if he was attacked. His teeth ground together, every muscle in his body tight.

He was _definitely_ going to kill Kamui in his sleep.

 _"Sakamoto!" Katsura screamed._

 _Immediately the others reacted, closing a circle around the man even before they knew what had happened to him. All they knew was that he hadn't fallen yet—that meant he was still alive—and so they had to protect him._

 _The moment she had a spare second to breathe, Tomoe glanced back to check on the man. It wasn't good. The wound was undoubtedly deep, a glint of white bone showing through the blood and torn flesh. And he was losing too much blood. If he didn't stop the flow, he would die._

 _"Shin-chan, cover me," Tomoe murmured, and the dark haired man nodded his acknowledgement, moving to fill in the space she left as she moved within the circle to tend to Sakamoto._

 _"Do you have bandages?" Tomoe asked urgently._

 _Sakamoto nodded, just as she expected he would. He always made sure they had enough supplies, and made sure everyone carried the very basics on the battlefield. Everyone had at least one or two rolls of bandages, and the medics had more in case somebody actually made it to them during the fight._

 _Tomoe had thrown hers to one of the wounded soldiers—it was good that Sakamoto still had his._

 _She searched quickly through his pockets and dug out a roll of white, miraculously untainted by the blood and dirt of the battlefield. Tomoe pursed her lips. There was no way to treat the wound without stripping Sakamoto's armor off, so her fingers worked quickly and deftly, removing all the clasps and finally the plates. She didn't even bother telling him to remove his shirt—she simply tore it off. Her eyes flicked to the samurai's face. It was sheet white, half from the blood loss and half from the pain, the man breathing in short gasps to keep the pain minimal. It was too easy to tell it was pure stubbornness that kept him conscious._

 _"Stay with me," Tomoe said, even as her hands unrolled the bandage and began to wrap it around the injury._

 _Sakamoto grunted, biting down hard on his lower lip to keep from crying out in pain. Grimly she continued wrapping the bandages tightly, knowing very well that the pressure was needed to stop the bleeding. And when she finally tied it off, and no more red appeared on the surface, she could feel the man slumped against her, unconscious. Tomoe sighed. It would be best if they could move him somewhere else, somewhere safer, but they didn't have such luxuries. So she simply laid him back, careful not to jar the wound into bleeding profusely again, and nudged Takasugi aside so she could once again join in the fight._

 _"Is he alright?" Takasugi asked, not once looking at the smaller girl._

 _"For now. He needs stitches, and he won't be able to fight for a while," Tomoe answered briskly._

 _How much longer until the battle ended? The screams in the distance still continued, metal still clashed against metal and bit into flesh, and the number of Amanto soldiers pressing against their small circle never seemed to die down. It was like a never ending army of Amanto._

 _"Tch," Tomoe hissed._

 _Wasn't there some kind of special move that could kill a whole bunch of them at once? Like a bankai or a Tessaiga or something? Yeah, that would be convenient. Unfortunately the only ones with convenient weapons were the Amanto, and the earthlings were stuck with normal katana._

 _Finally,_ finally _, Raitei flew in from above, a sign that the Amanto army had largely diminished in size, and that the Entei could no longer attack from above without hitting the human samurai._

 _The samurai cheered and redoubled their efforts as the herd of Entei joined them on the ground, whipping out hooves and tearing out throats with their teeth and powerful jaws. It was almost over. The samurai could win this battle as well._

 _They did, of course. They had many casualties, but as usual, the Kiheitai and Amatsukaze still had all their men, even if they were all injured. The adrenaline fading as she glanced around at the Amanto and human corpses littered over the battlefield, Tomoe swooned and fell onto her behind, dizzy from the blood loss. Her body ached all over, and she didn't know if the pain was from injuries or from overworked muscles, but she didn't really care at the moment. They were_ alive _._

 _"Come on. We need to get the quiet loudmouth back to the medics," Takasugi said, offering the girl a hand._

 _"Yeah," she sighed and took the hand, rising to her feet once again._

 _They didn't find out until much later that Sakamoto would never again properly hold a sword with that arm._


	33. Chapter 33

Thanks for faving/following: Nosuri, Lena Jabez, DKMaria, Raymonde, Kazuekazu, Amaere, StarrySky0103, Gisolei, volley-14-nerd, pazaror, and CrystalSnowWhite.

Aoi: I'm glad you like the story! 

* * *

Luckily, or rather _unluckily_ , Takasugi did not encounter anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with him. Whether that was because the Amanto were a peaceful race or because Takasugi looked positively ready to start a massacre, he had no idea. Either way, he fetched a doctor with no trouble at all.

Kamui never caught up with him. Takasugi's teeth ground together. What in the blazing hells was Kamui doing? If he was anywhere within _ten feet_ of Tomoe, he would _slaughter_ the Yato. It would be no big loss—no longer having Kamui near Tomoe and no longer having a year's worth of food disappearing every month would compensate for the loss of firepower.

"Go in," Takasugi growled.

"Erm… In?" The Amanto doctor squeaked.

Takasugi terrified him. The human had radiated bloodlust the entire time, and the last thing the Amanto doctor wanted to do was follow him into somewhere that was so obviously his territory. But then the human's eye glinted, a hand casually rested on the hilt of the sword, and the Amanto doctor scurried into the ship.

Immediately the stench of sickness hit. The Amanto doctor recoiled. With an odor this strong, the entire crew must be sick. He didn't have time, though, to try to work out the disease before Takasugi started walking, not once looking back at the doctor but very obviously intending for the Amanto to follow.

The Amanto, of course, followed.

Takasugi opened the door to the training room, where most of the crew lay. It was much more convenient than having them stay in their individual rooms—not that any of the healthy people did a good job of taking care of them. And it wasn't like there was a problem with dumping everyone in one room—they were all sick anyways, so they didn't have to worry about contaminating each other either.

Takasugi glanced around. There were four very healthy people who were very absent. He scowled. He had specifically ordered two of the idiots to take care of the sick while Bansai piloted the ship. And the one he wouldn't trust with anything but fighting, killing, and eating was sitting there, happily eating the food the sick crew members had no appetite for.

"You're back!" Kamui said with a grin.

Takasugi glanced at the doctor for the first time, impatience increasing with every second. "Well? Do your job!"

The doctor scurried to obey.

Takasugi glanced around again, frowned. There was one more stubborn idiot missing, a not so healthy one. Had the idiot Yato really left her alone? Not like Takasugi wanted Kamui anywhere near Tomoe, but he shouldn't have left her alone. Unlike the weaklings on his ship, she was stubborn _and_ stronger than she looked. For all he knew she could have wandered off in spite of her condition.

"Oi, Kamui," Takasugi growled. "Where is she?"

The Yato blinked innocently. "Who, Tomo-chan?"

Takasugi fought the urge to unsheathe his katana. Who gave _him_ the right to give Tomoe a nickname?

"No, the lord of the cheese eating cows," Takasugi snapped. "Of _course_ Tomoe!"

"Hmm," Kamui shoveled a bunch of food into his mouth, chewed, swallowed.

Takasugi waited impatiently. He swore Kamui was doing this on purpose.

"Don't know," Kamui finally answered.

Takasugi gritted his teeth. The moment they got into space, he was throwing Kamui out the door.

Tomoe stumbled down the street. There was something she had to do… Right. She had to restock the infirmary, had to buy food for Raitei. The Kiheitai could handle the food and supplies, but Raitei was her responsibility, and the idiots wouldn't be able to properly get supplies for the infirmary. The humans would just buy a few first aid kits, and the Yato would get some alcohol and bandages, and that would be it.

Someone really had to tell them that first aid kits and bandages didn't cut it when someone's guts were spilling out, or when their bones were broken. Someone also had to tell the Yato that one did _not_ heal broken bones by snapping them in the opposite direction.

Ah, now that she thought of it, it would be a good idea to find a doctor for their ship. One that wouldn't be intimidated by Takasugi, and one that wasn't so weak that a Yato in pain could snap them in half.

…Did such a doctor even exist?

Tomoe sighed. Her head hurt, her whole body ached, and she wanted nothing more than to find a cool slab of marble and lie down on it. It would also be nice if the world stopped spinning.

"At this point, the price does not matter," a man said.

Tomoe frowned. If her head stopped spinning, she would be able to recognize that voice. At least that was the feeling she got. Now where had she heard it before? One of her clients? Someone related to a target? Someone from the Joui War? Her head hurt too much to think clearly…

Half out of curiosity and half because that was the only path forward, Tomoe turned the corner. Blank eyes stared at the two men discussing the price of who-knows-what, her brain working several times more slowly than usual.

And then the fog in her brain lifted with realization, and she suddenly didn't feel so sick anymore. In fact, she had no idea _what_ she should be feeling right now. She could only stare at the man in shock.

The only words that ran through her head were, 'he should be dead'.

 _Tomoe reached out, eyes wide in panic. Tears stung, almost blinding her, but this was the battlefield. They had no time to grieve. They could only kill again and again, trying desperately to survive._

 _It wasn't enough._

 _Desperation, skill, determination, power… None of those were enough when faced with overwhelming numbers and technology. As yet another member of the Amatsukaze fell, Tomoe felt absolute hopelessness wash over her._

 _A part of them always knew they could never win the war, that the bakufu had given in long ago, that the Amanto had dug their roots too deep in their planet for a small, ragtag group of samurai to get rid of them. But they had fought. They continued fighting for anything they could get back, for everything they could protect._

 _In the end, everything was meaningless._

 _A scream of rage and despair rang over the field, and it took a few seconds for Tomoe to realize that it came from her own throat. Her arms felt like lead, her legs felt like she was sinking into the earth, so deeply that she could never take another step. How long had they been fighting? Hours? Days? The Amatsukaze was on its last legs in every meaning of the word._

 _Then warmth pressed against her back. She spun, ready to cut them down, but seeing that it was an ally, she relaxed a little and turned to face the Amanto army. With someone at her back, it was a little easier._

 _"Tomoe," Sawamura panted. "You holding up?"_

 _She laughed bitterly. "Barely."_

 _Even as she slashed at a large Amanto's crotch—it was more than a little satisfying to hear him roar at the pain of his male parts being sliced apart—her eyes scanned the battlefield. There was literally a mountain of corpses, more Amanto than human, but that was only because so many Amanto came in the first place. There had to be at least two or three thousand Amanto in the army. It really was a desperate attempt to cut the samurai down for good._

 _Worse, it was working._

 _The Amatsukaze, which had never lost a member since it was formed, was now reduced to a group of no more than a dozen humans and Entei. Still, she was proud of them. They all took down their fair share of enemies before they fell. Even with the superior physiology and technology, even though they were losing the fight, the humans weren't losing to the Amanto in heart and skill._

 _"Ngh…"_

 _Tomoe's eyes widened at the grunt of pain. She whirled and stabbed out. And as her sword was easily blocked, she felt her heart fall to the pit of her belly. The leader had finally come out. When they were in no condition to face him, the leader had come out._

 _It was more than obvious. The rest of the Amanto were backing off, finding other prey, certain that their leader would finish the impertinent human girl. The large Amanto stared down at her._

 _"You should be in school, learning how to read and add and subtract," the Amanto remarked, as if they weren't in the middle of a bloody and exhausting fight._

 _"And you should be on your own planet," Tomoe retorted. "I would still be in school if you hadn't come."_

 _The Amanto nodded. "Fair point. So… What is your name, little human? What is the name of the Amatsukaze leader, who had led a hundred samurai to victory over and over?"_

 _"It's only polite to give your name first."_

 _He stared at her. "Hakuro, of the Tendoushu."_

 _Tomoe froze. Tendoushu… Then she shook her head. No matter who it was, she would kill him. "Sakata Tomoe."_

 _Time stopped as the two sized each other up. In any other situation, the two would be such a mismatch that it was laughable. An elementary school human girl and a large armored Amanto six times her size… Still, nobody would laugh, nobody would dare interfere here. Nobody would underestimate the human who had killed so many of the Amanto._

 _Tomoe barely noticed Sawamura being pulled away. She could only see Hakuro, could only concentrate on the dance and the clash of weapons. It wasn't fair. If he had come out earlier, if they had faced off before she had become injured an exhausted… But 'if's didn't exist in battle._

 _"It's over," Hakuro murmured. "You've lost. You're the only one left from your army."_

 _"Hah?" Tomeo growled. She blinked, glanced around. It was true. She pushed down the sorrow. "But that's true for you too. You're the only Amanto left."_

 _Hakuro nodded. "So our fight determines everything."_

 _Tomoe closed her eyes. She only had strength for one last blow. And from the look in his eyes, Hakuro could tell the same. The humans had lost. She had lost. But that didn't mean she would go down without a fight._

 _With a roar, she charged._


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Extra long final chapter. I wanted to continue, but I'm out of ideas and nowhere near updated on the anime... I hope you enjoyed the story, though.

* * *

 _The three stared in shock. It wasn't enough that they had to execute Shouyou sensei? The Bakufu had to mock them as well? Tomoe felt a grin form on her lips, and she threw her head back, laughing uncontrollably._

 _The other two stared blankly at her as the psychotic laughter filled the air. So this was what happened when someone ran out of tears. They could only laugh. And when even that ran out… Only blood would be left._

 _"It's over," Tomoe said, laughter disappearing. "Everything is over."_

 _Katsura sat with his head buried in his knees, depressed, as Shinsuke clenched and unclenched his fists, turning his grief into anger and hatred. Gintoki had disappeared a few nights ago without a word to anyone, and Sakamoto had gone into space._

 _"We're the only ones left. The only ones," Tomoe shouted. "Damn it!"_

 _It was true. The Amatsukaze had been wiped out, and all of Shouyou sensei's students except the four of them had been killed in battle. And the Kiheitai… Those that hadn't died in the last battle had been taken by the bakufu, and there was no question about what happened to them. Executed, every last man, and their heads put on display for the world to see._

 _"Tomoe," Takasugi said, putting a hand on her head. "Enough."_

 _"If we had been stronger…"_

 _The pressure from his hand increased. "Enough."_

 _They had lost. That much was clear. To continue the war would be pointless. Takasugi already knew—an all-out war was no longer possible. They had too few people left, and too few resources. To keep fighting only meant that the rest of them would die too. Seeing the heads of his Kiheitai mounted sent surges of anger through him. Seeing his fellow students die ached. Seeing Shouyou executed dropped him into rage and despair. Seeing Tomoe fallen amongst the dead Amatsukaze had frightened him more than he would like. If she had died too, he would probably have continued fighting the Amanto in the pointless war until he was in pieces too._

 _"Yeah," Tomoe agreed finally. "Enough. It's over."_

It was impossible. He should be dead. He _was_ dead. She watched him die, she saw his head completely separated from his body. Tomoe barely noticed falling to her knees, the combined forces of sickness and shock taking the strength out of her muscles.

The sound caught the attention of the two males, and they whipped around, staring at the girl on the ground. Her eyes widened. The man's eyes were cold, too cold, and the warm smile she knew was absent from his face, as if it had never been there.

"Hey, human! How much did you hear?" The Amanto snarled, taking a few threatening steps towards her.

She stared through him as if he didn't exist. "Se—"

"Hey!" The Amanto repeated, picking her up by the collar.

But even as she dangled in the air, she didn't notice the alien who had taken hold of her. It was as if the entire world had gone blank except for her and the man standing a few feet away, who stared coldly back without any recognition in his eyes.

"I'm asking you a question, you damned human scum!"

Pain blossomed in her stomach where he punched her, and finally her instincts returned her to her senses. Eyes blazing red with fury and bloodlust, she turned a freezing gaze on the Amanto who dared lay a finger on her. The creature faltered for a brief second before he scowled.

"You dare look at me like tha—"

Those were by no means uncommon last words for Amanto, especially not in the last twenty years. They had once only said them to Yato and Shinra—the Dakini were too frightening and the Renho were more often faced with 'what the hell is that' looks before their prey died—but in the last twenty years, those who had underestimated humans died with that phrase on their lips.

Tomoe dropped more lightly to the ground than the severed head did. "Sen…?"

"How much did you hear?" The man asked.

"Just the part where you said the price doesn't matter, but—"

He didn't look quite satisfied with the answer, but he spun sharply on his heel and began to walk away. Tomoe's eyes widened, and with an almost desperate expression, lunged forward and gripped his cloak.

"Shouyou sensei!" Tomoe cried.

The man halted and turned. The girl didn't dare hope, but even so, she faltered at the look in his eyes, the recognition in the eyes only for Tsukikage the assassin, and not his student Sakata Tomoe.

"Shouyou… sensei?" Tomoe repeated hesitantly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the man said. "Now _release me_."

Her body automatically obeyed the command of the man who's face and voice all belonged to her—their—beloved teacher, but with every step he took away from her, her heart seemed to drop a little further. Everything had started because they lost Shouyou sensei, and everything had ended because they lost Shouyou sensei. And all of a sudden he appears, alive.

What was she supposed to think now?

"Utsuro," another familiar voice said.

Tomoe's head snapped up.

"Hakuro," she breathed.

Her voice barely rose above a whisper, but the Amanto still heard it, and his gaze trained on her. His eyes were warmer than the Shouyou sensei lookalike's, and despite the fact that she had grown older since they last met, he recognized her immediately.

"Sakata Tomoe, Tsukikage," the Tendoushuu member said with mild surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"You know her? Personally?" Shouyou sensei's voice said.

"I fought her in the war," Hakuro replied.

"And yet you're both alive."

"You have to admire a human who could fight like that," Hakuro shrugged. "Besides, she was still a kid."

"You should have killed her."

Tomoe's blood ran cold at the words.

"Maybe. But she's been useful to us the last few years. We've hired Tsukikage more than a few times, after all," Hakuro replied, then glanced at Tomoe. "She seems to know you."

"I have no idea who she is. Let's go."

"Wait!" Tomoe called out.

This time Shouyou's copy didn't even pause. Hakuro raised an eyebrow at her—or at least the part of his head that would have been an eyebrow on a human.

"Why… He should be dead. Why is Shouyou sensei alive? Why is he like… like that?" Tomoe asked desperately.

"Shouyou sensei, huh…" Hakuro frowned. "If I'm not wrong, Shouyou was just another personality Utsuro created. The 'Shouyou' you know no longer exists. You should just think of Utsuro as just another member of the Tendoushuu."

"Wha—"

"If you don't want to die yet, I suggest you don't go near him, little half human," Hakuro said. "I'll be the one to kill you."

Kamui sat outside the spaceship, eating a barrel of rice by the handful. The Amanto doctor had left long ago, and the humans were feeling a lot better. In fact, some were already walking around. Takasugi, on the other hand, had been in a foul mood for hours. Probably because the girl had disappeared two days ago.

The yelling had gotten on the Yato's nerves, so he grabbed a little after diner snack—two barrels of rice, a whole cow's worth of beef, and another barrel of tea—and sat outside to wait for Tomoe to return. She would probably be able to stop Takasugi from killing everyone who so much as looked at him.

Don't get him wrong—Kamui would love to take advantage of Takasugi's foul mood and engaged the samurai in a fight to the death—but this didn't seem like the time and place. After all, with Takasugi around, there would be a lot more fun fights than if Takasugi were not around.

A movement caught Kamui's attention, and he stopped chewing for a second as he furrowed his brows and concentrated. It was dark out, so it felt like all the shadows were moving, but this movement seemed more real than that. And when he saw it again, he relaxed and continued to eat.

There were only one person he had ever seen with light purple hair.

Tomoe kept walking towards him and the ship, her head down—Kamui frowned again, because that was completely unlike the girl—and she dropped to her knees in front of him.

Kamui swallowed. "Tomo-chan?"

"Ne, Kamui," Tomoe said, her voice too quiet.

Kamui's frown deepened and he twisted his head to see her expression. But since it was too dark to see clearly, he used the hand that was not holding rice to tip her chin up. Then he blinked once in surprise. The expression the girl wore when she turned her face towards him was one completely unsuitable. Tomoe wasn't supposed to have tears in her eyes… Tears didn't belong on her face.

"Tomo… chan?" Kamui asked cautiously.

"What do you do when you find out everything you believed in was a lie?"

The Yato boy recoiled. What in the world was he supposed to answer to that? Scratch that, what in the world had happened in the past two days? He thought quickly. What did people do when females had water coming out of their eyes? Normally he wouldn't care, but if Takasugi saw Tomoe like this, he really _would_ massacre everyone on the ship.

"Ah, never mind," Tomoe said, smiling as she rose to her feet. "Sorry to say something so strange."

Kamui felt panic creep up on him. He couldn't let the girl walk into the ship like this—Takasugi would murder him in his sleep, or worse, he won't let anyone cook enough food to satisfy his stomach. His hand reached out and grabbed hers, stopping her in her tracks.

Takasugi gritted his teeth. Where the heck did Tomoe go? She could handle herself in a fight—usually—but she was sick and _alone_ on an unknown planet. How _dare_ she go off without telling him? She belonged to _him_ the moment she stepped foot on his ship! It didn't help that his injured eye had been throbbing since that morning—something it did once in a while—and his pride wouldn't let him go to a doctor over something that small.

"Shit," he cursed, punching the wall.

He glared out the window into the night, seething. When was the stupid girl coming back?

Then a movement caught his attention, and for a moment he forgot the pain. _How dare…_ Takasugi watched silently for a long moment, his rage growing with every second. Finally, with a roar, he turned and threw his chair against the wall.

Kamui waited for the water to stop coming out of Tomoe's eyes, his hand awkwardly on her head and his shoulder slightly damp. He had no idea how they ended up in that position, but the moment he grabbed her she had buried her head against his neck and asked him to lend her his shoulder.

He let her, of course. Anyone he fought and didn't kill and learned to respect and who cooked for him was a 'friend'.

"I apologize," Tomoe said as she straightened, and Kamui relaxed at her use of formal language again. "And thank you."

"No problem!" Kamui said with a large smile. "Just treat me to dinner sometime."

Tomoe's lips twitched into a wry smile. "If you do not empty my wallet."

"I'll leave a few hundred yen," Kamui answered cheerfully.

Tomoe laughed softly and bowed once to him before returning to the ship. Kamui sighed. It wasn't like he was interested in her romantically or sexually. But he still liked her. If she mated with him they could make some really strong babies. Too bad Takasugi would castrate him before that could happen.

The moment Tomoe stepped into the ship, she was met with chaos. The crew ran around with panicked expressions, either going into hiding or looking for something—Tomoe had no idea what. She opened her mouth to ask…

"Tomoe-dono!" Bansai exclaimed, relief coming across his features. "Do you think you can say something to Takasugi? Stop him from destroying everything and killing everyone?"

Tomoe blinked. Since that was Takasugi's new purpose in life, she highly doubted that.

"Not in general," Bansai corrected himself. "But at this moment in time, on this ship."

Tomoe blinked again. "Excuse me?"

Bansai's usually calm expression looked a little frazzled. "Just… Go to his room, and you'll see."

A confused expression on her face, Tomoe walked through the halls, and it didn't take long for her to hear yelling and cursing and violent banging. A distraught Matako stood a few steps from the open door, delivering pleas that, judging from the noise, went unheard.

"Shin-chan," Tomoe said, volume barely higher than usual.

Matako sent her a scathing glare, but Tomoe, of course, ignored her. Takasugi's scathing glare, however, made her a little uneasy. She had never seen Takasugi direct such a furious expression towards her, like he was willing to tear her to pieces with his bare hands.

"Bansai-san," Tomoe said. "I can take it from here."

Bansai hesitated to leave a woman with the Takasugi right now. Still, he nodded and watched as the girl stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Bansai had the strange feeling that he had just seen a tiger walk into a rabid panther's den.

For a long while, Tomoe didn't speak. She just looked around the room, surveying the damage. All the furniture save for the bed were broken and in unsalvageable fragments, and the walls looked like some wild beast had attacked them. Said wild beast glared at her with a snarl, the single visible eye wide and verging on insanity.

Tomoe sighed. "Shin-chan… Throw tantrums _outside_ , where we do not have to clean up and replace everything."

The calm words only seemed to infuriate Takasugi even more. His hand formed a vice grip around her wrist, and he threw her onto the bed, climbing over her threateningly.

She stared unwaveringly up at him, unafraid.

" _Where have you been_?" Takasugi growled. "And _why_ were you with _Kamui_?"

"What I do has nothing to do with you," Tomoe replied.

Takasugi's eye widened with fury. A hand went to her throat and Tomoe stiffened, expression going blank. If he tried to choke her, she would kill him. Even if he _was_ her Shin-chan.

But rather than wrapping around her neck, with one fluid motion, his hand traveled down to her obi and ripped it off, her kimono falling halfway open and revealing pale skin. Takasugi's head dipped and he bit her shoulder harshly. Tomoe winced. She was sure he had drawn blood. But other than that, she didn't move.

And then his fingers wrapped around her throat, just hard enough to hurt, but not quite hard enough to choke her.

The light in his eyes when he glared down at her was dangerous, the grin on his lips sadistic.

"You said before that you won't sleep with anyone you don't love, right?" Takasugi said, recalling the words from when they were still young.

"It's still true," Tomoe replied calmly.

"So," Takasugi said, hand running up her side, skin rather than cloth under his touch. "Who are you saving yourself for? You were always friendly with Zura. You don't seem to dislike Bansai either. But if anyone, it's _Kamui_ , isn't it?"

Tomoe twitched. After all these years of flirting, he says something like this… Takasugi had to be an _idiot_.

But Takasugi seemed to take the movement for assent, because his aura turned darker, even more murderous than usual. The deranged grin vanished, the grip on her turned hard enough to bruise.

"Then I should take you right now," Takasugi said, voice scarily calm. "After that I'll sever all the tendons in your legs, carve my name into you, and murder Kamui in his sleep."

Tomoe sighed and sat up, surprising Takasugi into letting her. Then he scowled. If she tried to run for the door…

But she didn't. Instead she pushed his shoulder down until his back was flat against the bed, and all of a sudden their positions were reversed. He glared up at her. Did she think that just because she was on top that he couldn't overpower her again? He wasn't about to let _Kamui_ have her. Or any other man, for that matter.

Her eyes softened as she smiled down at him, not a single hint of malice in her expression. "Shinsuke."

He froze, eye wide in surprise. She had never shown him that kind of expression before, nor had she ever called him by his first name. It had always either been 'Shin-chan' or 'Takasugi'.

"Are you in love with me?" Tomoe asked.

His brain stopped working for a brief moment. Then he frowned. "Of course not."

Her eyes fell half closed in amusement. "So if I go to Kamui, then you won't kill him, won't cut up my legs and won't carve your name into me?"

Takasugi stiffened and scowled, focusing only on the first part. She wasn't going to Kamui, not even over his dead body. "If you say you're in love with that Yato, I'll kill you."

"And yet you don't love me," Tomoe mused.

"I don't," Takasugi confirmed. He had the nagging feeling he was lying through his teeth, and that she knew it.

She hummed, cocking her head as she studied him. Then she climbed off the bed, holding her kimono closed. Takasugi propped himself up onto his elbows as he watched her, his body tense and ready to grab her if she headed for the door.

But she walked the other way, towards the window. He almost opened his mouth to warn her that sharp shards of glass were there from when he smashed the mirror, but she stopped before she could step on them. She stood motionless for a while, as if looking for something, and Takasugi watched curiously as she picked up a piece of broken glass the size of his palm.

She pressed the tip to the inside of her forearm.

"What the—" Takasugi froze, wide eyed in shock, and it took a few seconds before he had the presence of mind to roll off the bed and grab the wrist that still held the glass against her skin.

"You hate me enough to kill yourself in front of me?" He demanded, scowling furiously. "Give me that."

She let him tug the glass shard out of her hand and turn over her injured arm. His touch was surprisingly gentle considering that he had been ready to attack her a few moments ago.

"Damn it," he hissed, and tugged her lightly towards his bathroom.

She followed obediently, holding back a flinch when the cold water touched the open wound, but let him wash away the blood. It was just a matter of time until he examined it, so she waited quietly.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He demanded, angry, but it was a different kind of anger than before.

He turned the tap off and held the arm out to examine more clearly, and he froze.

 _"_ What the _hell_ were you _thinking_?!" He repeated, shocked.

In the few seconds he failed to move, she had managed to carve his last name into her inner forearm, the writing not exactly pretty, but clear and legible. And deep enough to leave a faint scar.

She smiled faintly, almost mockingly. "Weren't you going to carve your name into me?"

He could only stare at her as if she had lost her mind. What _idiot_ would actually do something like that to themself? "Damn it."

She didn't respond.

"Unless you mangle this, no man will accept you," Takasugi told her. "No man wants their girlfriend to have someone else's name carved into them."

"You really are an idiot, Shinsuke. I've been in love with the same man for ten years. Do you really think I would do something like this without thinking?" Her smile turned mocking. "But since he's rejected me now, maybe I should cut up my arm so his name is unreadable."

"Don't you dare," Takasugi snapped immediately.

"But you're not in love with me," Tomoe said, her tone just as full of mockery as her smile.

"You know perfectly well how I…" He clammed up and scowled. Like hell he was going to take the bait.

Tomoe frowned slightly and pulled away, going back to the broken glass and choosing another one.

" _Oi_ …" Takasugi growled. He wasn't going to let her erase his name.

But rather than doing anything herself, she offered him the glass. "There's only half of your name here."

He glared at her. "I'm not going to cut my name into your arm!"

"Where, then?"

" _I'm not going to cut my name into you, period!"_

"Fine, then," Tomoe nodded. "By the way, if I keep bleeding I might die from blood loss."

Takasugi stared at her. " _Damn it_! You little _idiot_!"

He ripped a strip off his sleeve and began wrapping it around her wound.

"Your idiot?"

His movements paused for a moment, and while he wasn't immature enough to grin like an idiot in love, he couldn't stop the tiny smile. He turned his head up and kissed her quickly.

"My idiot," he agreed.

Tomoe smiled and faked a sigh. "It took you ten years to kiss me. How long until you sleep with me?"

He glared at her without any anger. "Two minutes, if you don't shut up and stop teasing me."

She smirked. "Then maybe I should continue."


End file.
